[Macworld]

Post your comments for Apple to pay penalty for 4G iPad claims in Australia here

[TeaEarleGreyHot]

What a fiasco. Appalling that Apple goofed up on this. I've come to expect better from them. Maybe I shouldn't have....

[JackHolland]

So who actually receives the money ?

[Stewsburntmonkey]

TeaEarleGreyHot, on 08 June 2012 - 08:47 AM, said:

What a fiasco. Appalling that Apple goofed up on this. I've come to expect better from them. Maybe I shouldn't have....

Better in what way? Nothing they said was incorrect. The new iPad does have a 4G antenna, and as Apple noted service is dependent on carrier and location (and subject to your particular definition of 4G).

I'm more disappointed by the fact that consumers seems completely adamant about not taking any responsibility for understanding what they are purchasing.

This post has been edited by Stewsburntmonkey: 08 June 2012 - 10:27 AM

[Stewsburntmonkey]

klahanas, on 08 June 2012 - 11:17 AM, said:

I would expect that response from a Wintel fanboy. What happened to "just works"?

I'm not really sure what that is supposed to mean, but I don't think expecting people to use common sense and exhibit a little personal responsibility makes me a fanboy of any description.

[TeaEarleGreyHot]

Stewsburntmonkey, on 08 June 2012 - 10:24 AM, said:

TeaEarleGreyHot, on 08 June 2012 - 08:47 AM, said:

What a fiasco. Appalling that Apple goofed up on this. I've come to expect better from them. Maybe I shouldn't have....

Better in what way? Nothing they said was incorrect. The new iPad does have a 4G antenna, and as Apple noted service is dependent on carrier and location (and subject to your particular definition of 4G).

I'm more disappointed by the fact that consumers seems completely adamant about not taking any responsibility for understanding what they are purchasing.

The article says: "Apple’s iPad advertisements misled the public over the device’s 4G capabilities. The latest iPad is not compatible with Australia’s sole 4G network run by Telstra." That's pretty clearly the reason Apple lost the suit and is paying the damages. I don't think the general population of a country can be reasonably be expected to know the details of a telecom frequency protocol, and can properly expect that a "4G" product should work with the system Australians know as "4G".

Kind of like selling PAL videotapes in the USA, by merely advertising them as "VHS".

But I guess, to paraphrase PT Barnum, "There's a sucker born every minute."

This post has been edited by TeaEarleGreyHot: 08 June 2012 - 11:34 AM

[Stewsburntmonkey]

TeaEarleGreyHot, on 08 June 2012 - 11:32 AM, said:

Stewsburntmonkey, on 08 June 2012 - 10:24 AM, said:

TeaEarleGreyHot, on 08 June 2012 - 08:47 AM, said:

What a fiasco. Appalling that Apple goofed up on this. I've come to expect better from them. Maybe I shouldn't have....

Better in what way? Nothing they said was incorrect. The new iPad does have a 4G antenna, and as Apple noted service is dependent on carrier and location (and subject to your particular definition of 4G).

I'm more disappointed by the fact that consumers seems completely adamant about not taking any responsibility for understanding what they are purchasing.

The article says: "Apple’s iPad advertisements misled the public over the device’s 4G capabilities. The latest iPad is not compatible with Australia’s sole 4G network run by Telstra." That's pretty clearly the reason Apple lost the suit and is paying the damages. I don't think the general population of a country can be reasonably be expected to know the details of a telecom frequency protocol, and can properly expect that a "4G" product should work with the system Australians know as "4G".

Kind of like selling PAL videotapes in the USA, by merely advertising them as "VHS".

But I guess, to paraphrase PT Barnum, "There's a sucker born every minute."

The latest iPad isn't compatible with a lot of wireless technologies. It isn't compatible with all wifi standards, so should Apple be forced to drop the term "wifi" from its marketing? To me the issue is that cellular coverage is always subject to the carrier's capabilities and your service plan. So as far as determining what coverage you will get with a specific device you need to know what that device is capable of and what your carrier is capable of for your given service plan and location. Apple's only responsibility is to accurately describe what the capabilities of its devices are, which it did (the iPad does have a 4G radio). The issue of 4G coverage is not under Apple's control, so Apple directs customers to their carrier for determining coverage.

Just to be clear, I'm not at all opposed to Apple dropping the 4G terminology in Australia, but I think it is not helpful to allow consumers to completely abdicate any responsibility for their purchases and/or use of products.

This post has been edited by Stewsburntmonkey: 08 June 2012 - 11:55 AM

[klahanas]

Stewsburntmonkey, on 08 June 2012 - 11:23 AM, said:

klahanas, on 08 June 2012 - 11:17 AM, said:

I would expect that response from a Wintel fanboy. What happened to "just works"?

I'm not really sure what that is supposed to mean, but I don't think expecting people to use common sense and exhibit a little personal responsibility makes me a fanboy of any description.

On the contrary, I was not calling you a fanboy. The "check your specs", "do your research", is something I would have expected from a "Wintel fanboy", which you are not.
The famed "Just Works" slogan failed on this product in Australia, when in fact it didn't work as advertised or expected. I'm not going to blame Apple for the mess that global cellular networks have become, but labeling it "4G" is misleading for units sold in Australia. It doesn't say "4G Prformance Only when in the US". 4G, of course, as defined by the standards of the country of sale.

This post has been edited by klahanas: 08 June 2012 - 01:58 PM

[Stewsburntmonkey]

klahanas, on 08 June 2012 - 01:56 PM, said:

Stewsburntmonkey, on 08 June 2012 - 11:23 AM, said:

klahanas, on 08 June 2012 - 11:17 AM, said:

I would expect that response from a Wintel fanboy. What happened to "just works"?

I'm not really sure what that is supposed to mean, but I don't think expecting people to use common sense and exhibit a little personal responsibility makes me a fanboy of any description.

On the contrary, I was not calling you a fanboy. The "check your specs", "do your research", is something I would have expected from a "Wintel fanboy", which you are not.
The famed "Just Works" slogan failed on this product in Australia, when in fact it didn't work as advertised or expected. I'm not going to blame Apple for the mess that global cellular networks have become, but labeling it "4G" is misleading for units sold in Australia. It doesn't say "4G Prformance Only when in the US". 4G, of course, as defined by the standards of the country of sale.

For me the whole point of the the "It just works" philosophy is that users shouldn't have to concern themselves with ultimately meaningly technical details like what brand of cellular signal they are getting. They just concern themselves with what they are looking for on the internet. In that light I don't think this issue really interferes with the "it just works" nature of the iPad. I also haven't seen many actual users who really care that much. Seems like it is really the governments and consumer advocacy people who are taking an opportunity to count coup on Apple.

[Macnutjohn]

Maybe I should sue AT&T for advertising 4G at our local store when they don't even offer 3G here. Hmmmmmmmmmm..................

[Martian]

I think the issue is that there must be a local Apple corporate presence in Australia that exists for local reasons that mostly include handling Australian marketing for Apple. Well what the hell was that office doing if they didn't know or didn't bother to act on the fact that not one square inch of the country's entire 4G infrastructure was iPad compatible? This is totally different from the commonly known issue that cell coverage varies within any country.

So was Apple Australia being "dumb like a fox" or just plain dumb.