Apple Fined For Misleading Advertising
Apple was fined A$2.25 million ($2.29 million) by an Australian court on Thursday for misleading advertising of its latest iPad.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) took legal action against Apple in March, after the company released its new iPad tablets in the Australian market.
The ACCC alleged that Apple's promotion of the new "iPad with WiFi + 4G" was misleading because it represented to Australian consumers that the product "iPad with WiFi + 4G" could, with a SIM card, connect to a 4G mobile data network in Australia, when this was not the case.
The Federal Court in Melbourne determined Apple had implied "that an iPad with WiFi + 4G could connect directly to the Telstra LTE mobile data network in Australia, which it could not do".
Apple has already promised to refund all buyers of its new iPad in Australia and agreed to post warnings that its new iPad "is not compatible with current Australian 4G LTE networks and WiMAX networks."
The ACCC alleged that Apple's promotion of the new "iPad with WiFi + 4G" was misleading because it represented to Australian consumers that the product "iPad with WiFi + 4G" could, with a SIM card, connect to a 4G mobile data network in Australia, when this was not the case.
The Federal Court in Melbourne determined Apple had implied "that an iPad with WiFi + 4G could connect directly to the Telstra LTE mobile data network in Australia, which it could not do".
Apple has already promised to refund all buyers of its new iPad in Australia and agreed to post warnings that its new iPad "is not compatible with current Australian 4G LTE networks and WiMAX networks."