Apple Pay launches in Germany
Apple Pay is continuing its slow expansion as it is officially now available in Germany, a country that counts 83 million people.
Germany
HomePod goes on sale in France, Germany and Canada
HomePod, the innovative wireless speaker from Apple with built-in Siri, is available starting today in Canada, France and Canada after making its initial debut in January 2018 in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Siri on HomePod now speaks French, German and Canadian English languages and dialects
Ahead of its scheduled June 18 launch in France, Germany and Canada, HomePod’s version of the Siri personal assistant is now available in the languages and dialects spoken there.
iTunes carrier billing expands to UK’s EE, Germany’s Telekom, Orange in France & Spain
Customers in Germany, the United Kingdom, France and Spain can now take advantage of iTunes carrier billing as more carriers now support this handy feature.
HomePod is coming to France and Germany this spring
HomePod’s staggered release will see the $349 wireless speaker hitting the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia next month before arriving in France and Germany later this spring. Local pricing was unknown at post time.
Some people in UK, France and Germany are now apparently able to access Apple’s TV app
Apple appears to have kicked off a staggered rollout of the TV app to users in the UK, France and Germany.
Apple Maps lane guidance expands to Australia, Canada, France, Germany & UK
Apple Maps lane guidance saw its first global expansion following the feature’s debut in September.
German paper calls out Apple for paying between 1 and 7% tax on overseas income
The paper’s editor-in-chief has penned an open letter to Tim Cook seeking some answers regarding Apple’s tax practices.
iPhone 8 pre-orders could start on September 15, shipments on September 22
iPhone 8, iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus could be available for pre-order three days following next Tuesday’s unveiling, with shipments going out to customers on September 22.
Amazon and Apple end Audible exclusivity deal to avoid antitrust probe by German government
Quietly announced two weeks ago following discussions with both the European Commission and the German Federal Cartel Office, Apple and Amazon have decided to end their deal which made Amazon-owned Audible an exclusive provider of audiobooks for iTunes.
According to a Reuters report Thursday, the move puts an end to antitrust complaints by the German government and is likely to boost competition.
The agreement had been in place for over a decade, since 2003.
Amazon Music Unlimited expands to UK, Germany and Austria
After making its U.S. debut last month, Amazon’s $9.99 per month music-streaming service is set to expand to the United Kingdom, Germany and Austria beginning Monday, announced the online retail giant. The service was live in the United Kingdom at post time, with roll-outs in Germany and Austria following later today.
Earlier this morning, rival Google released revamped Play Music apps with machine learning-driven recommendations based on user location, activity and time of day.
Apple Pay could launch in Germany soon
Apple Pay could launch in its fifth European country soon. As first discovered by German blog iPhone-ticker.de, Apple’s support document highlighting participating banks and card issuers for Apple Pay in Europe appears to have accidentally highlighted Germany on a world map, suggesting the next possible expansion for the iPhone-driven service.