Canada

iTunes Movies Come to Canada and the UK!

By Rene Ritchie, Wednesday, Jun 4, 2008 a 4:55 pm

Long the [out-of-wedlock] stepchildren of the iTunes experience, Canada and the UK got some small measure of love a while back with the addition of TV shows, albeit primarily local and cable fare, like CBC and BBC respectively. But where were our movies? What about our (pricey) Apple Take 2 rentals?

Today Apple finally bestowed cinema on her Majesties loyal subjects, home and commonwealth alike:

3G Rumors: iPhone in Canada Next Month With... Reasonable Rates?!

By Rene Ritchie, Monday, May 19, 2008 a 8:55 am

I'm not going to get off on another Rogers rant here. Suffice it to say, when it comes to Canadian telcos, I'm the rat who, having learned helplessness, now lies face down on the hot plate.

However, not content to let me lie there and wither in peace, now comes this report, determined to kick poor downed me with some hope:

Rogers Announces iPhone in Canada!

By Rene Ritchie, Tuesday, Apr 29, 2008 a 9:56 am

We're number 7! We're number 7! (OMG 7!!11)

During their Q1 Press Conference Call this week, Rogers Mobile announced that they had finally (finally!) finalized a deal to bring the iPhone to Canada:

"We're thrilled to announce that we have a deal with Apple to bring the iPhone to Canada later this year. We can't tell you any more about it right now, but stay tuned."

This would make Canada the 7th country to officially announce an iPhone deal, after the US, UK, Germany, France, Ireland, and Austria. (Whether they launch 7th will be another matter...)

Now, I can't say Phone Different bringing attention to this matter just last week played any role in the big announcement (El Jobso, are you reading us right now?), but it is quite a coincidence, n'est ce pas? ;)

In any event, if this pans out, I'll be ecstatic. Heck, I might even sing! (mercifully after the break...)

Oh, Canada: My Home and iPhone-less Land

By Rene Ritchie, Friday, Apr 25, 2008 a 11:55 am

It's morning; the dull Canadian sun seeps in through the blinds and the alarm sounds on my iPhone. I flip over, swipe to silence, grab the phone from off the side table, and quickly check my email for anything urgent. The weather widget shows clear skies, Twitter is abuzz with the latest SDK updates, and PhoneDifferent.com tells me Apple made a bit of money this year. Closing the browser, I flip on a podcast for some easy-learning and try to decide whether the day needs facing.

Sounds pretty normal, right? Actually, it's still pretty revolutionary, really. One device to rule them all, as the meme goes. The iPhone. Apple’s gift to the mobile world. And something that, as a Canadian, I can't legitimately own or use.

Biggest NAFTA- and Free Trade-powered partner, friendliest borders in the world, and seemingly endless source of hot singers and gifted comedians, and while we Canadians can buy every other bit of gear Apple produces, we get absolutely no iPhone love.

Why is that exactly? Read on.

Friday Link Smörgåsbord

By Mike Overbo, Friday, Nov 2, 2007 a 10:45 am

The fourth annual iLounge 2008 Buyers Guide works for the iPhone and iPod, and is viewable online for smaller screens like the iPhone, iPod Touch, or laptops. If you prefer, for desktop viewing.

iPhone on Rogers Dec 7?

By Mike Overbo, Monday, Oct 29, 2007 a 10:35 am

The Week In Links

By Mike Overbo, Friday, Oct 26, 2007 a 1:34 pm

While I was gone at CTIA, there's been a bunch of things that have happened that I didn't get time to properly write about. So today, we'll have a bit of an iPhone news smörgåsbord. There's been a fair amount of news, a fair amount of not-news, and some of the things that I've been reading are just plain wrong.

Apple Dealing with Film-Makers Directly for iTunes
Apple has sidestepped some of the major studios for some films, opting instead to deal directly with film-makers. This could be a sign of things to come -- it would be great to not have to report every major film-studio or TV channel contract tiff.

Whither iPhone in Canada?

By Mike Overbo, Monday, Oct 15, 2007 a 11:12 am

The iPhone faces additional legal issues in Canada before it can make its way onto Rogers. It appears that a plucky little Ontarian telecom named Comwave wants Apple to pony up cash before Apple can use the iPhone trademark. Comwave is currently using the iPhone trademark for VOIP phones and services. The trademark brouhaha is currently playing its way out in CIPO, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office. Also, there's currently no public deal with Rogers to carry the iPhone, that could be another stumbling block. Apple probably has to do this dance in every country where they want to sell the iPhone.