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British advertising body investigating iPad 4G claims after complaints

Lost reception

British advertising body investigating iPad 4G claims after complaints
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The Advertising Standards Authority in Britain will now be investigating Apple’s third-generation iPad adverts after it received approximately 24 complaints from consumers.

The complaints focus around the 4G LTE connectivity of the new iPad - one of the key selling features in the US and Canada, but inoperable in the UK due to the lack of 4G networks.

What’s worse for Apple is that when the 4G networks do begin to roll out, new iPad owners would still find the feature disabled as the machine runs on a different part of the spectrum compared to the EU.

Repeat offence

"It was an issue as marketing materials had references to Wi-Fi and 4G," one unnamed UK operator told the FT.

"We asked them to change it and pushed back relatively hard on the 4G stuff. They [Apple] normally tell us what to say and when, which is fine as they know their business, but suddenly they talk about the network and it went all wrong. The 4G references are going."

This isn’t the first time Apple has run into troubles in terms of the international reaction over the new iPad’s connections.

Earlier in 2012, the firm was forced to offer refunds for Australian customers who similarly felt misled over claims of 4G connection.

It also had to clarify its marketing message in the country, something it has already done in terms of the Apple UK store, where it highlights "ultra-fast wireless" and "fast mobile networks around the world" rather than specifically referring to 4G.

Financial Times via Recombu
Will Wilson
Will Wilson
Will's obsession with gaming started off with sketching Laser Squad levels on pads of paper, but recently grew into violently shouting "Tango Down!" at random strangers on the street. He now directs that positive energy into his writing (due in no small part to a binding court order).