A U.K. advertising group will continue its probe of Apple's new "4G" iPad.
As reported by the BBC, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) asked Apple to remove references to "4G" on its new iPad website given that the tablet does not actually run on 4G networks in the region. But as recent complaints from consumers noted, the 4G designation is still evident on the U.K. version of the iPad purchase site.
A footnote at the bottom says that the device only supports 4G LTE on AT&T and Verizon in the U.S. and on Bell, Rogers, and Telus in Canada.
In a statement, ASA said it had responded to 40 complaints about the 4G claims on Apple's website. "Complainants challenged whether the references to 4G were misleading, because they understood that 4G was not currently available in the U.K.," ASA said. "Some of the complainants also challenged the description of the iPad as 4G because they did not believe that the iPad would be compatible with 4G networks when they were introduced in the future."
Apple told ASA that it had removed references to 4G from its website as well as a video about the new iPad, but the complaints suggest that is not the case.
"We are currently assessing these new complaints," ASA said. "If it appears that the problem claims we asked Apple to remove are still appearing, will investigate these new complaints."
U.K. officials are not the only one investigating the issue. Similar complaints cropped up in Australia, prompting the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to demand that Apple also remove any reference to 4G on the tablet in the region, and offer refunds to those who believed they were duped.
In defending itself, Apple argued that 3G service in Australia is basically on par with 4G. Australian providers like Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone "are 4G networks in accordance with accepted industry and regulatory use of the descriptor '4G,'" according to Apple.
The debate over what constitutes 4G has been a point of contention among those in the telecom space for some time. U.S. providers like T-Mobile have been marketing their service as 4G when they in fact have a souped-up version of 3G known as HSPA+. It's faster than 3G, but does not quite get the same performance as a full-blown 4G LTE network, like the ones currently being rolled out by Verizon and AT&T in the states.
For more on that, see Apple Discovers 4G Nonsense Stops at U.S. Border.
Also check out PCMag's full review of the new iPad and the slideshow below.
Editor's Note: This story was updated Wednesday with comment from ASA.
For more from Chloe, follow her on Twitter @ChloeAlbanesius.
