The Advertising Standards Authority is not satisfied with Apple’s marketing of the new iPad, despite assurances from the company that it had removed the term ’4G’ from its website and from a promotional video.
According to the BBC, a letter from the ASA to one person who had complained that Apple’s use of the term 4G was mis-leading said ‘Apple “have advised us that no further reference to the 4G capabilities of the iPad will be made on their UK website”.’
That was enough to satisfy the ASA, but the term is still being used on Apple’s site, albeit with a footnote explaining that 4G LTE capabilities are not supported in the UK. Apple has so far refused to comment but according to the BBC, a source at the company ‘insisted that no undertaking was given to remove all references to 4G from its site.’
There are are currently no 4G LTE networks in the UK, but even when they’re up and running, the current iPad won’t operate on them. That’s because it uses the 700MHz and 2100MHz spectra, and not the 800MHz and 2600MHz spectra which will be used in the UK for LTE.
Apple offered full refunds to customers in Australia after some customers complained that it didn’t work on the LTE networks in that country.
