For years, Brazil was known for having the most expensive iPhone in the world. This happened with iPhone 12, iPhone 13, and even the third-generation iPhone SE. This time, however, another country has taken the top spot in the ranking. According to research by Nukeni shared with 9to5Mac, Turkey now has the world’s most expensive iPhone 14.
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Deutsche Bank has published its annual Mapping the World’s Prices report, which includes a ranking of the cost of an iPhone in each of 33 countries. The 2017 version shows that Brazil is no longer the most expensive place to buy …
Apple was today granted a design patent on the beautiful Istanbul store that opened back in 2014. The store in Turkey’s largest city is known as the ‘Glass Lantern.’ The store has a glass rectangle atop the larger store beneath, each side of the rectangle comprising a single pane of glass, with a water feature covering the rest of the store’s roof.
A second patent was granted for the Apple Store in Zhongjie Joy City, China. This two-story design with a suspended upper floor and floor-to-ceiling glass walls spanning the full height of the building is one Apple is using in a number of new stores.
Patently Apple notes that the Turkish store was awarded the Supreme Award for Structural Engineering Excellence in the year it opened.
Apple has previously been awarded patents for its Fifth Avenue and Shanghai stores, Steve Jobs among those credited as an inventor in the case of the New York store. The company has also successfully trademarked store interior designs in Europe.
Following the most recent Apple Music launch for users in Turkey last week, the subscription music streaming service and accompanying Beats 1 radio station have now officially launched in Taiwan.
Since first launching its new Apple Music subscription streaming service for users last June, and bringing it to China in September, Apple has been slowly bringing it to more countries behind the scenes. Today, Turkey is the latest to get access as the service quietly launches for users in the country.
Apple looks to continue its rapid expansion of its retail stores according to a reliable local report from MacReports. The report claims that Apple is working towards launching another retail store in Istanbul, Turkey. The company is reportedly assembling a team to lead the process, as well as advertising new available positions in Turkey relating to the opening of another retail store.
While the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus was scheduled to arrive in 40+ more countries for Apple’s second wave launch this month, the company is delaying sales of the device in one of those countries, Turkey, due to recent terror attack that killed 97 people in the country’s capital Ankara. Apple confirmed that sales of the device would be delayed in an email to partners in the country that was obtained by appletoolbox.com.
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As expected, Apple Watch launched today in three new countries. Starting today, Apple’s wearable is available in Turkey, Russia, and New Zealand. This expansion comes after a launch in seven new countries earlier this month. Apple CEO Tim Cook was in Istanbul, Turkey to celebrate the launch and took to his Twitter account to share his experience.
Earlier this week news leaked that Apple would begin offering automated purchasing of mobile ads by advertising agencies through its iAd program when one partner ad company accidentally published a press release early, and today Apple has officially shared the full announcement regarding iAd’s “move into programmatic channels.” In addition to Rubicon Project, Apple shared that it is partnering with various “demand-side platforms (DSPs) and ad tech companies” which include Accordant Media, Adelphic, AdRoll, GET IT Mobile, MediaMath, and The Trade Desk.
Apple’s second retail store in Turkey appears to be finally nearing completion, as Apple branding has been added to the black cladding on the storefront in photos posted by Apple Toolbox as the company confirmed its plans to open the store.
Apple opened its first store in the country back in April, on the European side of the city, first announced during a meeting between Tim Cook and President Abdullah Gül. Istanbul straddles the European and Asian continents, and the second store is located in the Asian side, in a shopping mall called Akasya …
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NZ carrier Spark offers customers life-sized cardboard emoji characters to reserve their spot in line for iPhone 6
Apple’s second wave of iPhone 6 sales has just kicked off with customers in New Zealand getting access to the device through retail stores and online as we roll into the morning of September 26 in the country. We’re also approaching the launch in a total of 20 countries today as the device goes on sale the morning of September 26 local time in the following locations:
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Apple is about to roll out its Volume Purchase Program, which allows business and education customers to purchase and distribute iOS apps in bulk for deployed devices, into 16 new countries. Apple’s website for both the Volume Purchase Program for Business and for Education have been updated to announce the expansion and now list the following countries as coming soon to the program:
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[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4bQxN-bXFQ]
After a long build up, Apple’s first Eastern Europe/Asia Minor store opened up today in Istanbul at the Zorlu Center. As with some other flagship stores, it is mostly subterranean with a glass upward protrusion. This one has four large panes of glass covered by a white roof with a darker Apple logo surrounded by a fountain as pictured below.
Apple yesterday held a press event attended by one of the Apple Store leads Steve Cano. Tim Cook took to Twitter to announce the opening:
[tweet https://twitter.com/tim_cook/status/452417592544608256]
More images and videos below:
Turkish websites DonanimHaber and iPhoneTurka provide our first look at Apple’s first Turkish store now the covers have been removed, revealing a mostly-glass design. Like the iconic 5th Avenue store in NYC, what is visible above ground is simply an empty glass space, though in this case it’s a lower and more subtle skylight than the famous glass cube.
More photos below …
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Following several months of anticipation, Apple’s first official Apple Retail Store in Turkey will open in Istanbul on April 5th. The new store is located in the center of the Zorlu Center mall, and the official announcement has come in the form of emails to customers in Turkey and on a banner around the physical store…
Turkish site ElmaDergisi is reporting that Apple is preparing to open a second store in Istanbul, this time in the Asian side of the city. The city of Istanbul uniquely straddles both the European and Asian continents. and the first store already known to be under construction, though apparently behind schedule, is on the European side.
Although the story isn’t confirmed, what looks very much like Apple’s usual black cladding during store preparation has appeared in a shopping mall called Akasya. The site claims that Apple plans to open a total of four retail stores in Turkey by the end of 2015. Apple launched the online store in Turkey last October.
Tim Cook met with Turkish President Abdullah Gül in February, discussing a rumored $4B plan to put iPads into schools among other issues.
A Turkish government website reporting on Tim Cook’s meeting with President Abdullah Gül says that the country’s first Apple Store will open in Istanbul in April. Istanbul, which uniquely straddles Europe and Asia, is one of the largest cities in the world by population with over 14 million residents.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2Qnx60Ghrk]
In addition to a rumored $4 billion plan to put iPads into Turkish schools, it was said that the two discussed the amount of sales taxes levied on iPhones and iPads and when Apple might include Turkish in the languages supported by Siri with at least some suggesting that the two issues might be linked …
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Shortly after Apple opened its online store in Turkey late last year, it was rumored that Tim Cook would meet with that country’s president. The meeting would precede the opening of the first Apple Retail Store in Turkey which was originally said to be on track for January.
Toady, the Turkish government has confirmed this meeting through a presidental schedule published on the government’s website. The meeting will take place at 11:00 AM local time on Feburary 4th (that’s about 4 AM the same day on the U.S. east coast). The two will reportedly discuss a $4 billion plan to bring iPads to Turkey’s schools—a deal Apple outbid several other companies to secure.
Today, Apple has taken the wraps off of a version of its Apple Online Store for Turkey. Apple is promoting the new store with a large banner at the top of the site. The store is now being promoted on Apple’s homepage in Turkey, and it is also accessible at its direct link here.
This Apple Online Store for Turkey represents Apple’s first official sales presence in the country other than authorized resellers. Earlier this year, we noted that Apple is set to open up a large physical retail store in Turkey in 2014…
As previously announced by Tim Cook earlier this year, Apple is preparing to open its first retail store in Turkey with a new store currently under construction in Istanbul. The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple has picked up around 21,000 square feet of space inside the Zorlu shopping center between Burberry and Louis Vuitton stores.
The store is expected to open in early 2014 and would make for the 13th country that Apple currently operates at least one retail store in. Apple now has over 400 retails stores worldwide and previously announced plans to open 30 new stores this year along with relocating 20 stores to bigger properties to accommodate customers.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdoğan has visited Apple, Google and Microsoft in the run-up to a tender for 10.6 million tablets for use in Turkish schools as part of a major modernization program in which textbooks will be replaced by tablets and chalkboards by electronic whiteboards …
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Facebook Messenger version 2.1.1: On top of officially rolling out free VoIP calling to all U.S. users today, Facebook also updated its Messenger iOS app to add back the “Swipe to Archive” function and improve reliability:
What’s New in Version 2.1.1
– Added back Swipe to Archive
– Message send reliability improvements
Remove Turkey and Italy from region list.
Turkish and Italian are not supported by this new version.
Support for iOS 6.
Support iPhone 5 4-inch screen.
PDF Expert for iPad version 4.5:
New in PDF Expert 4.5
– Annotate images
– Full screen reading
– Performance improvements
This version adds Mobile Deposit® for eligible customers and enhanced graphics for iPhone™ 5 users. Additionally, version 2.2.1 is bilingual (English/Spanish), has full Bill Pay capabilities (add payees, select pay accounts, etc.), transaction details with check and transaction images, account transfers, and an enhanced branch/ATM locator.
We’re listening. This update includes bug fixes related to the most recent upgrade.
Oceanhouse Media is releasing two new books from its popular Little Critter and Five Little Monkeys series:
Just Going to the Dentist | 99 cent introductory price
Five Little Monkeys Play Hide and Seek | $1.99 introductory price
TextExpander for iPad and iPhone | now only 99 cents (was $4.99)
Apple, Microsoft and Intel are locked in a bid for a contract to supply Turkish schools with up to fifteen million iPads. The government-funded project is nick-named “Fatih”, a Turkish word for “conqueror”. The government will require the winner to build the tablets and/or peripherals in the country, however. This little nugget has been officially confirmed to Anatolia news agency by the country’s trade minister Zafer Caglayan. Bloomberg has the story:
Apple officials told Caglayan during his visit to the U.S. that the Cupertino, California-based maker of smart devices may also decide to use some Turkish manufacturers to make some peripheral equipment such as covers, earphones for its iPad and iPhone models, Caglayan said at a news conference with Turkish reporters in Seattle, according to the Ankara-based agency.
Frankly, we somehow don’t see Apple building fifteen million iPads in Turkey as the country may lack the manufacturing capacities necessary to produce such a precisely engineered gadget that is the iPad. As for Microsoft and Intel, the Windows maker “may inquire about the project” and Intel could be interested in opening a research and development center in Turkey.
Our German is more than a little rusty (and so is Google’s) but it appears that five devices that are suspected of being either iPhone 5s or knockoffs were confiscated at the Munster-Osnabruck airport on July 21st.
It still isn’t certain if they were real or fake but it is newsworthy that Germans are confiscating iPhones, real or fake, at the Airports since there are so many fake iPhones coming out of China, India and Sears these days. Maybe they were just Samsung Galaxies?
The men in possession of the devices were coming from Turkey.
It appears that the customs officials are working with Apple to determine the origin of the devices.
Benm.at has the story
Here’s another version of the story.
Update: Reader Till translated the important bits, below:
The customs officers weren’t sure if the smartphones were a rip-off, but a comparison with the so-called “E-Agent” made it seem possible. Of course, the appearance of an iPhone 5 was more spectacular. “We can neither confirm nor deny if it is a real device and consequently industry spying”.
Apple was informed about the found. “We are waiting for a response of the manufacturer that tells us what to do.” Photos of the found won’t be published until then. “It could be industry spying, so you have to handle such picture with special sensibility”, said the spokeswoman.
