Australia

Apple to raise prices on some international App Stores in the next 24 hours

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 31, 2014

In the next 24 hours, Apple will be making a few changes to price tiers available to iOS developers as a result of fluctuating foreign exchange rates.

The adjustments will affect seven countries, including Australia, New Zealand and Israel, with most of the affected markets set to experience price hikes due to the weak local currency.

The firm has adjusted App Store prices a few times in the past and these changes are no different.

The company has informed registered iOS developers of the retail price changes via an email communiqué today...

8GB iPhone 5c only available in UK, France, Germany, Australia and China

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 18, 2014

Apple's newly launched cheaper iPhone 5c model with eight gigabytes of storage is only available in select few markets, a spokesperson for the company confirmed Tuesday. The device is available in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Australia and China. It is not, however, on sale in the United States, for the time being.

By comparison, the relaunched fourth-generation iPad with Retina display is available across all territories because that device is a replacement for the company's phased-out iPad 2 and now represents the new entry-level, full-size iPad offering. The introduction of the entry-level 8GB iPhone 5c is largely viewed as an effort to help boost the device's lagging sales...

Apple launches iTunes Radio in Australia

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

Apple has officially launched its streaming music service iTunes Radio in Australia this morning, making it the first non-U.S. country to gain access to the service since it was introduced last fall.

It was reported in October that Apple had plans to rollout iTunes Radio to the U.K., Canada, Australia and New Zealand in early 2014, and this appears to be the first step of that International push...

Apple kicks off Back To School promo in Australia and New Zealand

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 14, 2014

We're still a few months away from the Back to School season in the United States, but over in Australia and New Zealand the new school year is looming so the iPhone maker's annual promotion for students is in full swing, giving us a taste of what to expect this coming summer in the United States.

Apple's Back to School promos are certainly more generous than their disappointing Black Friday discounts. Students in Australia and New Zealand can save with educational pricing and get a free $100/$50 iTunes gift card with a qualifying Mac/iPod or iPhone purchase.

The full breakdown is right past the jump...

Apple’s gift card only Black Friday deals launch in Australia

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 28, 2013

Just as we suspected yesterday, Apple's Black Friday promotion may disappoint even the most ardent of fans as this year Tim Cook & Co. have opted to treat shoppers to Apple Store gift cards instead of actual discounts on products. Apple's deals are now live on its Australian web store and we're expecting the U.S. Apple Store to come online with the promotion later in the day. The problem with Apple's gift card-only approach is that these things are redeemable against future purchases only.

As a result, eager shoppers who are on the lookout for real discounts on products, right there and then, will instead need to visit their retail or online Apple Store again in order to actually spend their credit...

Qantas releases Passbook-enabled iPhone app

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 5, 2018

Australia's airline Qantas said back in November it would enable Passbook integration for boarding passes for domestic flights. In the meantime, Qantas partner American Airlines rolled out support for Passbook boarding passes, as did a bunch of major airlines around the world. Making good on its promise, Qantas yesterday finally released its own iOS app with Passbook integration for digital boarding passes, mobile check-ins, real-time flight changes and frequent flyers...

Apple blames high Aussie iTunes prices on content owners stuck in the old ways

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 11, 2018

Why does digital content in Australia cost more than elsewhere? It's not our fault, one Apple executive told a government panel investigating the pricing disparity.

The company (rightfully) blamed "old-fashioned notions" held by content owners for markups as high as 61 percent on music and other digital media sold in the region.

Apple's Australian Vice President Tony King told the panel the company would prefer to offer music, movies, TV shows, along with hardware at lower prices, hinting that movie studios, record labels and other content owners are forcing the company's hand...

Australian authorities again warn of inaccuracies in Apple Maps

Cody Lee ∙ February 13, 2013

Last December, Police in Victoria, Australia issued a warning regarding Apple's new Maps app in iOS 6, after several travelers became lost and stranded in a National Park due to poor directions. The advisory added insult to injury after Apple had taken months of criticism over the service.

Well, they're back at it today. Officials in Victoria, Australia are again warning users of Maps' inaccuracies, claiming that problems with the software are making it difficult to determine where fires are located in the city's Country Fire Authority bushfire information app 'FireReady...'

Apple called to testify before Australian Parliament in pricing probe

Cody Lee ∙ February 11, 2013

Over the past year or so, members of the Australian Parliament have been investigating whether or not its country's residents pay higher-than-average premiums on electronic products and services. And it looks like it's now prepared to speak directly to the makers.

The Standing Committee on Infrastructure and Communications in Australia's House of Representatives released a memo yesterday, stating that it has called upon Apple, Microsoft, and Adobe to speak at a public hearing regarding its probe at the end of next month...

Australia’s Treasury Department the latest to switch from BlackBerry to iPhone

Cody Lee ∙ February 7, 2013

RIM may have a new name, operating system and a pair of devices on the way, but Australia's chief information officer Peter Alexander says that it's almost too little too late. The comments follow a recent announcement that the country's Treasury Department would be trading in their BlackBerry devices for iPhones—a seemingly popular trend lately...

Apple launches Back to School promotion in Australia and New Zealand

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 15, 2013

Apple has launched its Back to School promotion in Australia and New Zealand ahead of the new school year. The promotion is open to students, parents and staff members of K-12 or higher education schools and requires an eligible purchase be made between January 15 and April 1. Akin to the company's Back to School promotion in the US and Europe last June, students in Australia and New Zealand who purchase a 9.7-inch iPad with Retina display will get a free AU$50 (NZ$65) Student Gift Card. Some notable Macs are also eligible...

Australian police: flawed Google Maps putting people’s lives at risk, too

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 8, 2016

Look, digital maps are imperfect - some more than the others. Australian police earlier in the week issued a public safety warning over a major flaw in Apple Maps which incorrectly put the town of Mildura in the middle of Australia’s Murray Sunset National Park.

It wasn't Apple's fault entirely as the company was working on data from The Australian Gazetteer, a company run by the Geosciences Australia agency which supplies Gazetteer with mapping data sourced from the state of Victoria itself.

And now, we learn that the police in Colac, west of Melbourne, warn of safety concerns from Google Maps. Ouch!