Australia to ask Apple for iPad name change over 4G incompatibility
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The ACCC wanted more, apparently asking for a name change; while quasi-official name for the new iPad is…”the new iPad”, in Australia much of the marketing refers to the cell-enabled version of the device as the iPad Wifi + 4G. Since the device does not actually have Australian 4G, the ACCC presumably wants it renamed to iPad WiFI + 3G, or something similar.
We’re somewhat surprised that Apple would not agree to the ACCC’s requests during mediation – the court challenge will likely be more public, and it’s hard to see how the ACCC could lose, since they appear to be well within their legal rights to demand a name change to a product.
Apple may be concerned about creating confusion (will people realize that the Australian iPad WiFI + 3G is the same as the +4G model everywhere else?), but Apple has gotten a bit strange lately about 4G marketing – remember the AT&T iPhone 4S is now marketed as a 4G phone as well. While Apple demurred on taking credit for that change, indicating that it was up to AT&T (why wasn’t it up to AT&T before?), we are beginning to suspect that Apple covets the 4G marketing name – Android phone and tablet makers have been using it as a promotional advantage for almost two years now (remember the original Evo ran on Sprint’s “4G” network).
With 4G becoming a battleground word for many of the major networks, is Apple now trying to claim the 4G mantle for marketing purposes? It’s hard to say for sure, but apparently they are willing to go to court in Australia to try and prevent a name change to a device that can’t actually run on any 4G network down under.
source: Sydney Morning Herald via TechCrunch
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13 Comments
2. ivanko34 posted on 16 Apr 2012, 13:13 3 0
It's about the same problem with the iPhone 4. Owners believe it's 4G
3. gp284 posted on 16 Apr 2012, 13:16 6 0
Yeah theres this really stupid girl that i know that thinks her phone is 4G and no matter waht i do i cant convince her that its not.
8. Virile posted on 16 Apr 2012, 14:25 0 0
haha they could look at the top of their screen where it says 3G >.
11. LionStone posted on 16 Apr 2012, 20:32 0 0
With the new update for ios, AT&T iphones have a new 4G icon. So, they do indeed have 4G...but without the speed.
7. gallitoking posted on 16 Apr 2012, 13:49 1 11
well it is blazing fast so it could.. remember non phone gets truly 4G (100mpbs) so why not..
12. TROLL posted on 16 Apr 2012, 20:52 0 1
Gallitoking wow 8 reds! Look's like every1 know'$ ur an ifan.....
5. hamids9898 posted on 16 Apr 2012, 13:42 0 0
People complaining about this are crazy. ASUS told people that weren’t happy to return the prime. They can’t fix the GPS in the existing build because it’s design flaw with the case. They have fixed the design for the Infinity and newer primes and the 300 tranformer. ANd now they offered a solution for people who choose to keep it and wanted to use it as a GPS. That’s pretty good support as far as I am concerned. This coupled with the update support for the firmware makes feel pretty confident that Asus will support it’s offering. Now obviously it would have been better to not have the problem in the first place but what’s done is done.
6. hamids9898 posted on 16 Apr 2012, 13:43 1 0
Erm, you’re getting caught up in “well, I wouldn’t use it, so it’s less of an issue.” Whether there is a real use or not isn’t the problem, the real issue is that people spent $600 on a tablet that fundamentally doesn’t work. I don’t use the FFC on my phone, but I’d be pissed if I paid $600 for a phone whose camera is broken.
http://hamidshaikh.com/asus-hints-at-a-new-ultra-high-resolution-devaysov/
Also, while you say this isn’t “as insulting” as the bumper, I think there’s a big difference. One is giving you a free case to remedy the solution and the other is giving you a “dongle” that stops you from using the device the way they intended it to be used. Why buy a Transformer Prime if you can’t use the laptop dock anytime you want? They should have just recalled them
9. InspectorGadget80 posted on 16 Apr 2012, 19:26 0 0
What Apple should of done is called their NEW iPad THE 3RD IPAD.
10. scnix posted on 16 Apr 2012, 20:13 2 0
Haha I read "..return their shiny new tablets." as "..return their s**tTY new tablets." on the first paragraph.
