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Canada finally getting full Apple Pay rollout as two major banks launch today, three more confirmed

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The headquarters of RBC Bank, the U.S. unit of Royal Bank of Canada, stand in Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S., on Thursday, Dec. 17, 2009. Royal Bank of Canada's international banking unit, which includes RBC Bank, had a loss of C$125 million in the fourth quarter. Photographer: Jim R. Bounds/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Until today, Canadians who wanted to use Apple Pay had only one option: a non-bank-issued American Express card. That’s finally changed as the first two of Canada’s ‘big five banks’ joined today, with the remaining three confirmed for ‘the coming months,’ reports the Financial Post.

Starting Tuesday, Interact debit and major credit cards issued by Royal Bank of Canada and Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce will support the payments technology, which allows users to load cards onto their iPhones and Apple Watches and make in-store purchases using their devices.

Two smaller financial institutions also add Apple Pay support today …


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Apple launches Boxing Week iTunes sale w/ discounted albums in Canada & UK

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As it does every year, Apple has officially kicked off its iTunes Boxing Week sale with discounts on select albums for this week only.

The sale, which both UK and Canadian users will find under a special section in the iTunes store on both iOS and Mac, will likely remain available through the end of the week. While “Boxing Day” is officially recognized in Canada and elsewhere on the 26th, retailers usually offer a Black Friday-type event for Boxing Day with most sales lasting the entire week following Dec. 25.

For Boxing Day this year, Apple is offering a long-list of popular albums, normally $9.99, starting at just $6.99 in Canada. There are other albums on offer for $7.99 as well. The deals are grouped into four sections including Hot in 2015, Essential Albums, Musique Francophone, and Discovery Artists.

On the UK iTunes store Apple doesn’t use the “Boxing Day” branding, but it is also offering popular albums from £3.99 in a special section on iTunes starting this week.

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Check out the iTunes Boxing Day sale in Canada and the UK sale now. And you might want to grab some discounted iTunes gift cards first.

Apple Pay is now available in Canada with American Express, UK Apple Pay adds Tesco Bank and TSB

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As expected, Apple Pay is now available in Canada. You can use use eligible American Express bank cards to make mobile payments at a whole host of retailers that support the NFC technology across Canada. Apple Pay retailer mobile payments works with iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus. Some had suggested that Apple may need to push out an iOS software update but iOS 9.2 remains in beta — this all works from within the Wallet setup on iOS 9.1.

For the UK, Apple has also brought Tesco Bank and TSB onboard … expanding Apple Pay to even more people in the country.


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Apple Pay expanding to Australia and Canada this year for American Express cards

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On its earnings call, Apple has announced a further expansion of Apple Pay in partnership with American Express, to Australia and Canada in 2015 as well as Spain, Singapore and Hong Kong next year in 2016. Exact details are still murky — Tim Cook very specifically said ‘eligible American Express customers in these regions’ so it isn’t going to be as big as a rollout for Apple Pay as we saw for the US or UK.


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Apple Maps gains Amtrak routes + Boston transit, partners with Yellow Pages in Canada for business data

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Apple delivered a major upgrade to Maps in iOS 9, OS X El Capitan, and watchOS 2 with the addition of transit directions in select cities, and now its rolling out additional cities and transportation methods to bolster that feature. In addition to expanding transit, Apple has found a new partner in Canada to provide rich local business data for use in Maps.
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AT&T enhances GoPhone plans to support 4GB data in Canada & Mexico

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National carriers across the US have been adding features that make it easier to use their service in Mexico and Canada as a growing trend, and today AT&T has announced enhancements to its pre-paid GoPhone plans to include 4GB of high speed data use in Canada and Mexico as well as the United States. The new AT&T GoPhone feature goes into effect on August 21st and is supported on the carrier’s $60 pre-paid plan without making any changes.

In addition to 4GB of 4G LTE data for use across North America where available, the GoPhone plans include unlimited talk and text in the US, Canada, and Mexico as well. AT&T’s $60 GoPhone plan is reduced to $55/month for customers using the carrier’s Auto Refill automatic payment feature.

For post-paid subscribers, AT&T supports international calling and texting to Mexico, Canada, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands on its 15GB and 20GB Mobile Share Value plans that it simplified over the weekend. More similarly, T-Mobile enhanced its own plans last month to support 4G LTE data use in addition to text and calls in Canada and Mexico without international roaming fees.

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Australia Apple Pay could be far off as banks push back on Apple’s fees

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It appears that the expansion of Apple Pay into Australia could be farther off than some had hoped. According to a report today from The Sydney Morning Herald, Apple is in negotiations with at least four of the largest banks in Australia in order to form partnerships for Apple Pay in in the region. However, the report claims Apple is having issues in negotiations centered around the fees it collects from the currently supported Apple Pay markets of the United States and United Kingdom.


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Apple Canada shuts down Wind Mobile’s used iPhone sales, supplied by Ingram

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Despite the Canadian Competition Bureau’s ongoing investigation into allegedly anti-competitive practices involving Apple and wireless carriers, Apple Canada has reportedly forced distributor Ingram Micro to stop selling used iPhones to Wind Mobile, a small wireless carrier. According to The Globe and Mail, a complaint from Bell Mobility, an authorized Apple partner and competitor to Wind, appears to have sparked Apple’s action.

The report notes that Ingram purchased large quantities of used iPhone 5c and 5s models from Brightstar, Apple’s official iPhone recycling partner. Ingram then resold 50,000 phones to Wind, which began selling the devices to consumers in June. In response, Bell asked Apple whether it, too, could sell used iPhones, which Apple deemed a violation of Bell’s contract, further demanding that Ingram stop selling used iPhones to Wind.


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Apple Watch coming to Best Buy Canada on August 14

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8/14 Update: As expected, Apple Watch is now available from Best Buy online and in select retail stores.

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Earlier this week it was revealed that Apple Watch would launch in more than 100 of Best Buy’s United States retail stores and online on August 7th, and now it looks like that expansion will also apply to Canada. According to MobileSyrup, Best Buy will also begin offering Apple Watch in Canada on August 14th. Just like in the United States, Best Buy Canada stores will offer 16 Apple Watch and Apple Watch Sport models.


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iOS 9 supports ‘iPhone 6S’ Force Touch, may enhance iMessage, Keyboard & Apple Pay

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Some of iOS 9‘s more important planned enhancements include split-screen apps on iPads, a new Home app for controlling HomeKit accessories, a new system-wide UI font, a mass transit directions service for the Maps app, and major quality, performance, and security enhancements. However, multiple sources note that there will also be some smaller, but still important, tweaks to the operating system. We spotlight some of these expected changes below…


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All Apple Stores to begin stocking 12-inch MacBook at end of May

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MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015)

The recently released 12-inch MacBook will be available for purchase at all Apple Stores globally beginning the week of May 25th, according to a memo from Apple to its retail staff issued earlier today. Because of supply constraints, not unlike those for the also recently-launched Apple Watch, sales of the new MacBook have been mostly restricted to Apple’s Online Store…


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Feature: Becoming the Apple stereotype of writing a novel on a MacBook in Starbucks

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Update: Both 11/9 and my second technothriller, The Billion Dollar Heist, are now available on Amazon.

Of all the stereotypes we hear about Apple owners, there is perhaps none so enduring as the guy writing a novel on his MacBook in Starbucks. Well, one November, I became that guy. Fast-forward a few years, and I have a 110,000-word technothriller ready to unleash on an unsuspecting public.

I’d had an idea for a novel years earlier, but I’d initially done what almost everyone does when they have an idea for a novel: absolutely nothing. The gap between having an idea and having a completed novel seemed too enormous to contemplate, especially when it would have to be combined with, you know, working for a living.

But then someone told me about something called NaNoWriMo: National Novel Writing Month. Every November, around 400,000 people across the USA, UK, Canada and a number of other countries around the world attempt to write 50,000 words of a novel. I decided to become one of them–using Apple technology, naturally … 
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Apple Maps Connect gains new languages as it expands to Canada, France & Germany

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The Apple Maps Connect service, which allows small businesses to add their listings to the Apple Maps database, has been expanded to Canada, France and Germany. The service has also gained two new language options, French and German, to correspond with the regional expansion.

Apple first launched Maps Connect in the U.S. last October, enabling businesses to edit or add listings, as well as set up indoor mapping within selected areas. Entries made by businesses typically show up in Apple Maps around a week later. The international rollout began last month with the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Singapore.

Apple switched from Google Maps to its own mapping service on iCloud.com in December. Apple-leased camera cars have been spotted recently, with some suggesting that they are being used to add Street View style images to Apple Maps, while others believe they are part of the Apple Car project.

Apple moves Canadian HQ into downtown offices close to flagship Eaton Centre store

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Apple’s Canadian HQ used to be located in a 78,000 square foot building on the outskirts of Toronto, but the company has recently moved into a smaller downtown location as it looks for a tenant to take over its previous headquarters for the country, according to sources close to the situation.
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First Apple Store coming to Queens as new Brooklyn & Manhattan stores running behind

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Apple is preparing three major new Apple Stores for New York, with two of the stores reaching major new markets for the first time. Apple is developing the first stores for the boroughs of Queens and Brooklyn, while a new store for the Upper East Side of Manhattan on 74th Street and Madison is also in development, according to sources.

The first Apple Store for Queens will be located in the Queens Center Mall on the second floor. One source says this store will be the largest Apple retail outlet located in a New York mall to date, and Apple is expecting revenues for this store to even beat out some of its flagship counterparts located elsewhere in the state. The store is under construction and is expected to open later in 2015, but an official announcement may come sooner…


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Higher European app store pricing takes effect in line with earlier email to developers

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Update: It appears subscriptions through iTunes (like magazines) that saw price increases have seen the auto-renew function disabled, a 9to5Mac reader reports, likely to avoid a higher subscription rate being charged, although users have not yet been notified of the change.

Apple has increased the prices of apps in all countries in the European Union in line with the email sent to developers a couple of days ago. Apple has made the move in response to shifts in currency exchange rates and varying tax rules.

Prices are also being increased in Norway and Russia, though Icelandic residents will see a price cut … 
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Canadian Federal Court orders Apple to turn over records in anti-competition investigation

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Reuters reports that The Federal Court of Canada agreed on Wednesday to force Apple’s Canadian subsidiary to hand over records to the country’s Competition Bureau as part of an ongoing investigation looking into whether Apple unfairly manipulated its market power to bolster sales of the iPhone.
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Canadian watchdog looking into Apple’s carrier deals for possible anticompetitive behavior

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Apple’s Canadian mobile carrier contracts are being evaluated by the country’s Competition Bureau after accusations of anticompetitive behavior from unnamed source, Reuters reported today.

The anonymous accuser claims that the agreements with Canada’s cellular carriers contain anticompetitive language. There’s currently no evidence to support those claims, but the Competition Bureau is still in the process of acquiring a court order for documents that could back them up.


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iPad usage in North America rises slightly in September over third quarter

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North American Tablet Usage Sep 2014 Chitika

The latest numbers from advertising company Chitika Insights show that iPad web usage in North America rose nearly 2% in September, marking a slight increase over the third quarter. Chitika found the iPad to have a 79.9% share of tablet web traffic in the United States and Canada during the month, compared to a 78.0% share reported in July.
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