Cupertino giant forced to clarify that the new iPad doesn’t do 4G down under

Mar 31, 2012 16:41 GMT  ·  By

Australian iPad fans should now fully understand what they’re paying for when they sign up for an LTE-capable tablet, as the fruity company headquartered in Cupertino, California has updated its promotional materials to reflect the tablet’s inability to connect to Australian 4G networks.

Australia’s only provider of 4G / LTE wireless services, Telstra, supports a different band than those offered by the new iPad, therefore the tablet cannot leverage its airwaves for blazing-fast cellular networking.

This has caused a widespread backlash from early iPad 3 adopters in Australia, many of which have claimed that Apple’s LTE marketing has been misleading to them. In other words, the LTE factor has played an important role in the purchase decision of many Australian buyers.

Soon after this caveat hit the news wires, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) announced that it would pursue injunctions and fines. Apple diligently complied, offering refunds to customers who claimed to have been misled.

In the meanwhile, Apple also updated the marketing materials on store.apple.com/au for the new iPad.

The promotional text referring to the tablet’s advanced wireless capabilities now specifically outlines that Australian users will not be able to leverage 4G (emphasis ours):

Wi-Fi + 4G model: Keeps you connected to the Internet using a fast cellular data connection when Wi-Fi isn’t available. So you can stay connected when you’re commuting on the train, hanging out at the park, or looking for directions during a road trip. It’s available without a contract, and service is sold separately. See your carrier for rate plan information.

This product supports very fast cellular networks.

It is not compatible with current Australian 4G LTE networks and WiMAX networks.

The iPad 3 supports 4G and 3G networks, as well as everything in the HSPA+ and DC-HSDPA spectrum. The base WiFi-only model starts at A$ 539.00 in Australia.