Apple to Pay Millions for Australian 4G iPad Debacle

Apple is facing a penalty of more than $2 million Australian for allegedly misleading consumers by promoting the 4G capabilities of the new iPad despite its incompatibility with Australia’s sole 4G network, run by Telstra.

Apple agreed to pay A$2.25 million in fines and A$300,000 in legal fees to settle the case brought against it by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission, though the presiding judge, Mordecai Bromberg of the Federal Court in Victoria, is unsure whether that’s a sufficient penalty. He has declined to approve the settlement until he’s told how many customers felt they’d been misled by the “iPad + 4G” branding Apple used in Australia, and learns more about the company’s finances.