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"Apple's proposed AU$2.25 million fine for misleading Australian consumers with advertising for its 4G-compatible iPad has now been approved by the judge in charge of the trial, just two weeks after being tentatively accepted by Apple.\r\n\r\nThe suit was brought by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)\u00A0in March, when the watchdog claimed that Apple deliberately advertised the 4G compatibility despite knowing that the third-generation tablet did not support LTE networks in the country.\r\n\r\nThe duo agreed on the pay-out\u00A0earlier this month, and the court has now ratified the amount after concluding that\u00A0Apple's marketing materials implied &amp;quot;that an iPad with WiFi + 4G could connect directly to the Telstra LTE mobile data network in Australia, which it could not do,&amp;quot; according to a Reuters report.\r\n\r\nIn May, Apple announced that it would provide refunds to any customers that felt misled by the advertising and marketing, which was changed in Australia -- and other markets across the world -- after the concerns were highlighted by the ACCC.\r\n\r\nApple updated the marketing copy on its website\u00A0to include\u00A0a clarification over LTE compatibility in North America:\r\nThe iPad with Wi-Fi + 4G model can roam worldwide on fast GSM/UMTS networks, including HSPA, HSPA+, and DC-HSDPA. When you travel internationally, you can use a micro-SIM card from a local carrier. You can also connect to the 4G LTE networks of AT&amp;amp;amp;T in the U.S. and Bell, Rogers, and Telus in Canada.\r\n\r\n\r\nAustralian Operators Telstra and Optus moved faster than Apple following the concerns, and began informing their consumers of the lack of support for 4G in Australia. Optus remove all mentions of the term altogether, whilst Telstra said: \u201CWe\u2019re making it clear to our customers that new iPad does not run on 4G LTE networks in Australia.\r\n\r\nThe lack of clarity around the marketing of the 4G compatibility was also closely scrutinized in New Zealand,\u00A0the UK, Italy and Sweden among other countries.\r\n\r\nUpdate: The ACCC has made a statement that includes the following comment from its chairman Rod Sims:\r\nThe $2.25 million penalty reflects the seriousness of a company the size of Apple refusing to change its advertising when it has been put on notice that it is likely to be misleading consumers.\r\n\r\nThe Federal Court has again recognized the need to protect consumers from misleading advertising in the telecommunications and related sectors. This decision should act as a renewed warning that the ACCC will continue to take action against traders who take risks in their advertising, regardless of their size.\r\nImage via Flickr / Juditk"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://thenextweb.com/apple/2012/06/21/apple-fined-2-25m-in-australia-as-penalty-for-misleading-4g-ipad-ads-is-approved/>