“Following a string of complaints across the globe (notably in Australia and the United Kingdom) regarding Apple’s branding of the 4G-LTE compatible iPads, Apple has tweaked the name of their cellular-connecting iPad in some regions,” Mark Gurman reports for 9to5Mac.
“The new name is simply ‘iPad WiFi + Cellular,’ and this is a shift from the former ‘iPad WiFi + 4G’ branding,” Gurman reports. “The source of the criticism of the 4G third-generation iPad models is the fact that the 4G LTE only functions in the U.S. and Canada, on a total of five carriers.”
Gurman reports, “Apple did not simply make this iPad name change in the affected Australia and UK regions, but they changed it in the UK, Australia, the U.S., Canada, UAE, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, New Zealand, Malaysia, Ireland, and Hong Kong.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: “4G” is a nonsense term. It has been bastardized by carrier marketeers to the point of having no useful definition. Regardless, this was certainly not a fight worth fighting, so Apple did the right thing by renaming the product even though they could have made quite the point had they renamed it something a bit more provocative, for example: “iPad Wi-Fi + Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.”
Atoning for educability through delicate beauty, indeed.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Readers “Fred Mertz” and “Dan K.” for the heads up.]
Related articles:
Apple seeks to redefine Australia’s 3G networks as ’4G’ – April 19, 2012
Apple and Australian watchdog mediation over iPad ’4G’ fails – April 16, 2012
Apple updates Australian store to further clarify 4G abilities of new iPad – March 30, 2012
Sweden looking into complaints over Apple marketing iPad as ’4G’ (incompatible networks in Sweden) – March 29, 2012
Apple offers full refunds, corrective signs over ’4G’ iPads in Australia – March 28, 2012
Australian watchdog to seek orders against Apple for alleged ‘misleading’ iPad 4G claims – March 27, 2012
We are so far away from true 4G/LTE, I can’t imagine what we Americans and others will either do with or need 5G for at least another decade.
We have true 4G. We don’t have the 4G as defined a few years ago. We have the 4G as defined after telecom companies paid to change the definition. Sad, but this is the real 4G now.
which is not real 4G. It’s a fraud.
The Telcom ISPs say it’s 4G & unless you have the $ to build out your own network to some other standard it’s all you are going to get.
“4G” nonsense, indeed. As MDN has so succinctly stated this nefarious term is both ambiguous and stupid. Better to purge your thinking than allow this miniscule alphanumeric demon to torture your soul and corrupt your mind. And anyone who dares speak it should be horsewhipped repeatedly until they confess their sin and repent their folly.
And have salt rubbed into the wounds, to boot!
Aye! Bring on the horsewhipping!
And make sure you have them drawn and quartered afterwards! >:D
Why don’t they just post software update to support the needed frequencies and everybody would be happy…
Irony being that we don’t really use the term “cellular” in Australia (they’re ‘mobile phones’, not ‘cellular phones’).
If you asked someone what sort of network their mobile phone uses, what would they say? The mobile phone network… not likely. I think they’ll figure it out.
I’m glad Apple made this change, similar to dropping the numbering convention on the products. Good move.
My only concern is now people will ask if they can make phone calls, with their iPad. You can’t win.
Actually in Oz we do call them mobile networks. Of course we’ve heard of cells and cellular, but they’re not part of the vernacular.
Interesting.
I’ve seen posts on other forums where so eom mentioned naming it Wi-Fi + mobile. I like this better, because it describes how it can be used.
Personally I wish Apple would just make all of the models with the ability to add a sim card. I work in Apple retail and it takes so much time in my day trying to explain what 4G is and why they should consider it. I’ve also seen many people purchase the Wi-Fi only models, even after knowing the difference, wanting to return them for 4G models a week later. I’ve never had 1 customer want to return a 4G model.
agreed, 4G doesn’t help the Aussies either.
Can’t please everyone all the time.
An iPAD with WIFI and CELLULAR, describes the model well enough.
And about making calls with your iPad or iPod, yes it can be done… try Truphone, Viber and or MagicJack using WIFI or Celluar Data package.
Oh God this goes from bad to worse.
“Cellular” and “Cell” are completely meaningless terms in Australia and UK. Apple global marketing don’t seem to have done a very careful job here – feels rushed. This whole saga has been one big clanger and feels like someone didn’t do enough research into firstly, what signals each county adopt and now (in damage recovery) what they call them. Apple please don’t become US-centric , keep those eyes and ears wide open – read the signals!
“Apple please don’t become US-centric” … I think that you lost that battle years ago!
Yeah, it’s only been the past few years they’ve had significant sales outside the US.
I like the name change. It simplifies and clarifies.
Far better move. As 4G can be misleading as Apples 4th generation?
The generation designation usually comes before the product name, hence the 2G iPhone was the iPhone 3G!
Sure, point taken. Understood and cool.
But not all consumers know this and it is not obvious.
Example a 76 year old pioneer at Bell did not understand 4G.
Though heavily advertised he was still clueless as to what 4G meant. Talk in terms of Mobile or Cellular capabilities and even a 4 year begins to understand the differences.
Naming something the 4G iPad WiMax 3 + 4G + Solar 5
really bothers me. And so does “new” by the way.
New iMac. The iMac new with 4G + SD + SD micro. WTH !!!!
The new iPhone commercials are horrible and would have never been greenlighted by Jobs. Zooey and her tomato soup? Samuel L. Jackson and “date night? How incredibly lame. The first Apple commercials I’ve ever seen that are instantly tired and make me not want their products.
Might as well change it to “Cellular” for now before any more complaints. At least “Cellular” is much more global in internet word, because it connects people around the world through websites. Perhaps Apple can produce a new word to replace “4G” or “5G” and so on, as Apple products increasingly improves.
Too many left wing fascist governments want to impose restrictions that use an anodyne naming convention that tells us less about a product’s capability than a name assigned by the manufacturer for the sake of conformity with the rules of political correctness.
This is unsurprising because Australia is run by a left wing communist bigot by the name of GillTard who is retarded by name and retarded in nature, as are all left wing pinko commie fascists.
This is an EXCELLENT choice by Apple.
1) There is no actual 4G available in the world.
2) There is no actual 4G available in the world.
3) There is no actual 4G available in the world.
4) There is no actual 4G available in the world.
and
5) There is no actual 4G available in the world.
As to the repeated argument that AT&T and Verizon LTE is not true 4G, I hate to tell you, but they didn’t ask you and it’s all you are going to get.
BFD. I can read the published 4G standard like anyone else with eyes. The mobile service company marketing morons can lie to their customers all they like. It’s not 4G unless it meets the 4G standard. That’s verifiable fact. The marketing 4G bullshite is verifiable deceit. It’s that simple.
I of course thoroughly enjoy sticking it to liars.
4G is misleading and WiFi is redundant: why not call them “iPad” and “iPad +”. That would be much more betterer.
Any iPad with cellular/mobile is a waste of money. Cheaper and more flexible to buy a WiFi model and a separate MiFi device, which you can run multiple devices from and will act as a router between them.
+1
I’m on my 3rd iPad and all have been WiFi only with a hotspot taking care of the mobile data. As the owner of both AT&T and Verizon 4G hotspots I can tell you they are plenty fast and beat most residential hard wired service.