Canada

Two-step Apple ID authentication launches in Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Italy and Spain

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 20, 2014

Following a flurry of reports which criticized various security holes allowing hackers to break into people's Apple ID accounts, Apple in March of 2013 finally stepped up account security by rolling out two-step verification for Apple IDs in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand.

Two months later, the feature launched in nearly a dozen additional countries: Austria, Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Mexico, Netherlands, Pakistan, Poland and Russia.

And now, as part of the third wave of expansion, the firm is enabling stronger account security for Apple ID users located in Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Italy and Spain...

AT&T now offers LTE roaming in Canada on Rogers

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 9, 2013

AT&T announced this morning that it has become the first major United States wireless carrier to offer international LTE roaming through a newly-launched LTE roaming partnership in Canada with Rogers Communications. The carrier blankets about 70 percent of Canadians with its fourth-generation Long-Term Evolution (LTE) signal, including major cities like Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver.

The roaming partnership should appeal to AT&T's users who need to access Roger's LTE network when visiting Canada. Previously, AT&T users worried about giving up 4G speeds when crossing the border.

But as you could probably imagine, roaming deals don't come cheap and that's exactly the case with the AT&T-Rogers partnership as well. I've included more tidbits for you right after the break...

Apple’s gift card-only Black Friday deals now live in North America, cash discounts in Europe

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 29, 2016

Following Apple's Black Friday deals that went live yesterday on the Australian web store, the company this morning refreshed its United States and Canadian outlets with 2013 Black Friday promotion.

Just as we suspected, this year the iPhone maker has rather disappointedly opted not to offer actual discounts on products and instead is luring shoppers with Apple Store Gift Cards, redeemable against purchases solely at a later date.

Apple has never offered deep Black Friday discounts and this year's gift card-only promotion will no doubt disappoint bargain hunters who'll be better served shopping elsewhere (iDownloadBlog has you covered with a comprehensive roundup of Black Friday deals)...

Job listing suggests iTunes Radio is headed to Canada soon

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Folks in Canada will be happy to hear that iTunes Radio may soon be landing in the country. A new job listing on Apple's website calls for a 'iTunes Canada Music Programmer,' who will be responsible for rolling out the music service.

Apple launched iTunes Radio last month alongside the redesigned iOS 7, and thus far it's only been available in the US. But if this job listing is any indication, the company could soon be rolling out the music service to more countries...

2-step Apple ID verification rolls out in more countries

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 2, 2017

Following a major security vulnerability that let attackers reset your Apple ID password using only your email address and date of birth, Apple responded in March by fixing the iForgot hole and bolstering Apple ID account security with an optional new two-step verification process for Apple ID accounts in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand.

Today, the company has started to roll out the feature to nearly a dozen additional countries, including Canada, Russia and Brazil...

Significant layoffs reported in Apple stores in US, UK and Canada

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 13, 2012

Apple is laying off new retail staff in its various brick-and-mortar retail outlets in the United Kingdom, United States and Canada, a new report has it. New hires and employees on their probation period have been let go in the United Kingdom, where Apple operates 33 retail stores.

Back in the United States and Canada, we're hearing whispers of part-time staffers seeing their hours reduced, some even to zero. All of this is happening just as the next iPhone is coming to full view. What exactly is going on here?

iPhone ad features e-book with fabricated quotes

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 6, 2012

A new report points out that Apple's been airing an interesting iPhone television commercial in some local markets, such as Canada and Germany, and it shows a shot of Jonah Lehrer’s “Imagine: How Creativity Works” front cover.

What's interesting is that Lehrer last month admitted to making up the quotes attributed to Bob Dylan. Though the book sold more than 200,000 copies in digital and physical formats, sellers pulled it over the scandal, including Apple which no longer offers a dead tree version of "Imagine: How Creativity Works" on the iBookstore...

Vancouver hotel replacing guest phones with iPhones

Cody Lee ∙ July 9, 2012

Hotels offer a wide range of amenities for guests-on-the-go. This includes on-site pools, Wi-Fi, bars, and workout rooms. But for one Canadian hotel, this also includes complimentary iPhones.

That's right, the Opus hotel in Vancouver has started replacing the landline telephones in each of its rooms, with iPhones. And even better, guests can carry the handsets throughout their entire stay...

Apple’s iPhone beats BlackBerry in RIM’s home turf

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 22, 2012

Tapping IDC data, Bloomberg says Apple's iPhone last year outsold Research In Motion's BlackBerry smartphone in Canada, where the embattled BlackBerry maker is headquartered. The numbers say Apple shipped 2.85 million iPhones in Canada last year versus 2.08 million BlackBerrys.

Compare this to 2010 when the BlackBerry topped the iPhone by half a million. It gets even better as "this is down from 2008 when RIM out shipped Apple almost five to one", the publication noted.

Taking over the world: Apple hiring for new London, Ontario store

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated April 3, 2018

Not content with reporting huge sales at its existing 360-plus retail stores across the globe, Apple is constantly seeking to expand its vast empire of knock-out retail locations at which we can all hand over our hard-earned cash.

The latest store that could be set to open appears to be in London, Ontario. Yes, those lucky Canadians are set to get another Apple Store in their midst. Masonville Place is to be the home of the unannounced Apple Store, according to a job listing.

The job listing shows that Apple is currently recruiting for the new store, with Geniuses and Inventory Specialists required, amongst others...

Rumor: Apple TV Set Already in the Hands of Canadian ISPs

Cody Lee ∙ Updated July 10, 2017

So this is pretty interesting. The Globe and Mail, Canada's largest newspaper, is reporting this evening that Apple is actively looking for Canadian launch partners for its rumored television set.

The report claims that the Cupertino company has recently approached both Rogers and Bell, two major Canadian carriers, about the product, and that the two operators already have the TV in their possession...

RIM’s Co-CEOs Step Down, Former COO Takes the Helm

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 25, 2016

Breaking news out of Waterloo, Canada tonight. Research In Motion's Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie have stepped down from their co-CEO roles. The company's former COO, Thorsten Heins, has been tapped as their replacement.

RIM's board of directors and major stock holders have been calling for the move for quite some time now. The company, which was once a major player in the smartphone industry, is now holding on to a dismal 6% of the market...