Apple will pay $2.25 million penalty to settle its case with consumer watchdog, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission; after it agreeing that it had misled the public by claiming the “WiFi + 4G” model could connect to the 4G network in Australia, when in reality it could not.
According to The Australian, ACCC’s lawyers told the court that this “substantial” penalty would send a message to the industry “that such (misleading) conduct will not be condoned.”
The judge, however, has not approved the deal and has apparently questioned why he has not been told Apple’s worth or how many customers have been affected. He said, “I have some concern… that the agreed facts might be a little thin to allow me to do what I need to do and that is determine whether the proposed penalty is appropriate.”
“At the moment on the agreed facts you put before me, I have no idea whether a consumer who bought the iPad, thinking it could connect to 4G but then realising that it couldn’t, has been impacted in any way.”
via The Australian