iPhone 5 release date: LTE warning from down under March 28, 2012iPad 3, iPad 3 Release DateOff

Australian customers want the real 4G LTE, and now, Apple is accused of misleading the public. 

The iPhone 5 (reportedly getting an October release date), according the mill, is set to use the same A5X chip because it will also support 4G or Long Term Evolution (LTE). Similar to the new iPad or iPad 3, the next iPhone is also expected to debut in Australia with the “4G” branding. But here’s the warning from the land down under, they really want the real 4G.

Apple’s new iPad, or the so-called iPad 3, was launched by the Apple on March 16 in Australia. Similar to other countries including the United States of America, Apple used the words “WiFi + 4G” to attract more customers. The 4G publicity is not an issue in United States because Verizon and AT&T are already offering LTE or “4G” (I’m not into a 4G debate here), but in Australia, there’s a “little” problem, the new iPad is not compatible with the country’s existing 4G network offered by Telstra which uses 1800MHz.

Australia’s Competition and Consumer Commission or ACCC, on behalf of the consumers, said that Apple’s WiFi plus 4G statement is very misleading because it advertises compatibility with the LTE network.

“Apple doesn’t have an iPad that would meet consumer requests for an iPad that would use a SIM card to connect to a 4G network,” says the watchdog according to an Australian news outlet.

Apple quickly responded, saying that the company is now ready to offer refunds in Australia just in case a customer is not satisfied with the new tablet computer. Apple said it is also planning to post a statement regarding the issue in its Australian Apple Online store to clarify things.

LTE is the future, apparently, and customers here in United States are already enjoying its benefits like faster web surfing resulting to faster YouTube video streaming, faster Hulu — and faster everything. In Australia, of course they also want the new technology, but Apple should also explain that in U.S., T-Mobile calls its HSPA+ a “4G” network, and AT&T calls its iPhone 4S with HSPA+ a “4G phone” with the 4G indicator. Well, it looks like HSPA+ is not considered 4G in Australia.

I think Australian wireless networks are ready to support an LTE iPhone 5, like here in United States, Verizon, AT&T and Sprint are gearing up to expand their coverage. I should note that Telstra’s iPhone 4S is a no slouch under HSPA+ according to Gizmodo. The tech site’s test showed that the iPhone 4S of Telstra features 2.55 Mbps download, and 1.91 Mbps upload – surprisingly, it is faster than my friend’s Sprint iPhone 4S or my Mom’s iPhone 4S under Verizon.

 

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