After Australian officials criticized Apple earlier this week over “misleading” claims regarding 4G in the Australian market, Apple has now agreed to offer full refunds to any Australian purchasers of the new iPad that are disappointed over its lack of support for Telstra’s LTE 4G network.
ABC News reports:
The company says it will email purchasers offering a refund if they believe they have been misled. Clarifications will also be made at point of sale.
The complaint centered around the fact that the new iPad can currently only connect to LTE networks in the U.S. and Canada. As such, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission claimed that Apple’s marketing of the new iPad as a 4G device was misleading to consumers.
As noted by the above screenshot from the Australian Apple Online Store, Apple has also added clarification to their Australian online store and promotional materials in the country which reflect that the new iPad will not work with Telstra’s 4G network. It will, however, work with Telstra’s HSPA+ 3G network, which can reach speeds of up to 42Mbps – faster than LTE networks in the U.S. in many cases.