Overhauled Apple Maps is live in France, Monaco and New Zealand, based on Apple's own mapping data which it began collecting back in 2018.
Revamped Apple Maps with rich details live in France, Monaco and New Zealand
New Zealand
HomePod mini is now available in Austria and Ireland, hitting New Zealand later in June
Availability of Apple's HomePod speaker has increased with new launches in Austria and Ireland, with the Siri-powered smart speaker scheduled to arrive in New Zealand later in June.
New Zealanders are finally able to use cellular features on Apple Watch
Apple customers in New Zealand can now buy an LTE-enabled Apple Watch Series 5 and take advantage its cellular features as local carrier Spark finally announced support for eSIM alongside Voice over LTE (VoLTE) services.
Apple Music comes to Alexa in Australia and New Zealand via Echo, Fire TV & Sonos devices
Apple Music is now available on Amazon Echo and Fire TV devices and Sonos speakers sold in Australia and New Zealand, allowing customers to request a song through Alexa.
Apple Maps lane guidance expands to New Zealand, Belgium, Netherlands & Sweden
Lane guidance, a new Apple Maps feature in iOS 11 for iPhone, iPad and CarPlay, has expanded to four additional countries following its debut in iOS 11 last fall and subsequent expansion in November 2017 to countries like Australia, Canada, France, Germany and the UK.
Macs bought in Australia or New Zealand now have 3-year warranty
Mac notebook and desktop computers purchased in Australia or New Zealand now come with warranty coverage for up to three years from the original date of purchase, effectively bypassing the need for an extended AppleCare coverage.
Pandora shutters service in Australia and New Zealand after five years
After five years, Pandora today shut down its service in Australia and New Zealand in a cost-cutting move that will let the company sharpen focus on the US market.
For the last ten years, Apple paid taxes to Australia instead of New Zealand
The New Zealand Herald's analysis of the local subsidiary's financial statements has revealed that for the last ten years, Apple paid taxes to the Australian Tax Office instead of New Zealand's Inland Revenue. The Cupertino company appears to have paid out $37 million in income taxes from sales generated in New Zealand, but to Australia's tax authority.
Apple’s 2017 Back to School promo launches in Australia, New Zealand & Japan
Apple today kicked off its annual Back to School promotion across Australia, New Zealand and Japan. Advertised under the “Back to Uni” tagline, these deals offer students, teachers and university staff members an Apple Store credit in exchange for a qualified iMac, Mac Pro, MacBook/Air/Pro or iPad Pro purchase made from February 7 to March 16.
The promotion is combinable with educational pricing discounts on Macs, iPads and AppleCare products. Built-to-order Mac models qualify for these deals as well, but refurbished devices and lower-cost computers like Mac mini do not.
Apple’s Black Friday deals are about gift cards, exclude latest products
Apple has launched its Black Friday deals today in Australia and New Zealand through its online store and retail locations in both countries ahead of similar one-day deals scheduled to launch in other markets tomorrow. The one-day shopping event in Australia and New Zealand offers customers free Apple Store gift cards worth up to A$200 or NZ$215 with the purchase of certain products like select models of the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac and Apple TV.
Apple Pay arrives in New Zealand, faces uphill battle as large banks continue to attempt lock out
New Zealand has just joined the ranks of Apple Pay enabled countries on Wednesday, following suit after neighbouring Australia finally introduced the service in May through ANZ Banking Group.
The foray was met with great customer praise in May, when ANZ became the first major bank in the region that decided to buck the trend of openly colluding with rival banks in an effort to prevent Apple Pay from hitting the shores. While Kiwis will undoubtedly be eager to embrace the technology, implementation is not likely to gather significant momentum until the same large players barring Apple Pay from the Australian market (most notably Commonwealth Bank, National Australian Bank, Westpac) come to an agreement over the cut Apple makes with every micro transaction and join ANZ in rolling out the service in both countries.
Back to School promo goes live in New Zealand and Australia with free Beats Solo2 headphones
Apple’s annual Back to School promotion is back with a new deal launching today in Australia and New Zealand. University students, students accepted to a university and parents buying for a university student are being tempted with a free Beats Solo2 on-ear headphones, a $199.95 value, with an eligible Mac purchase.
When purchasing a new MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac or iMac with Retina 5K display, customers shall receive an instant credit for the purchase of a pair of Beats Solo2 wired headphones in Gloss Black, Gloss White, Gloss Red or Gloss Blue or wired Beats Solo2 headphones in Space Gray, Silver, Gold or Rose Gold.