Australia

Three of Australia's biggest banks have lodged a joint application with anti-trust regulators to negotiate with Apple over gaining access to the NFC-based mobile payment hardware in its smartphones (via Reuters). Commonwealth Bank, National Australia Bank (NAB), and Westpac have so far resisted signing deals to use the company's Apple Pay mobile payment system, because they want their...

Apple today updated its iOS feature availability page with 23 new Flyover locations around the world, including cities in the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom. Flyover is an Apple Maps feature that provides photo-realistic 3D views of primarily large cities and landmarks. In satellite view, users can zoom, pan, and rotate ...

Apple today launched its annual "Back to School" promotion in Australia and New Zealand, offering higher education students, faculty members, parents of students, and select other staff a free pair of Beats Solo2 on-ear headphones with the purchase of a qualifying Mac with education pricing between February 3 and March 21. Eligible models include the iMac, MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air,...

Apple Pay has launched in Australia in partnership with American Express, expanding iPhone-based mobile payments to a fourth country following Canada earlier this week. The service can be used at Coles, Harvey Norman, Kmart, McDonald's, Starbucks, Woolworths and other select Australian stores that accept American Express and have NFC-equipped payment terminals. American Express cardholders...

Apple Pay badges have been added to Apple Maps listings for select Coles and Woolworths supermarket locations in Australia, as spotted by multiple users on discussion forum AppleTalk Australia. The badges are normally reserved for locations that accept Apple Pay, which is noteworthy given the mobile payments service has yet to officially launch in Australia. Apple Pay badges added to some ...

Apple has set higher prices for the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus in Canada, Australia and other countries to reflect a strengthening U.S. dollar and fluctuating currency exchange rates. The off-contract prices for the iPhone 6s Plus in Canada, for example, are $1,029, $1,159 and $1,289 CAD for 16GB, 64GB and 128GB of storage space respectively. Comparatively, the iPhone 6 Plus cost $969,...

Nearly ten months after Apple Pay launched in the United States, an increasing number of retailers including Rite Aid and Best Buy have reversed course and announced support for the mobile payments service. Nevertheless, the United Kingdom is the only country that Apple Pay has expanded to since last October due to roadblocks from major banks and financial institutions in other countries....

Apple Watch is now available at select Best Buy stores in Canada and through the electronics retailer's online store in the country, less than two weeks after Best Buy began selling the Apple Watch in the United States. Best Buy Canada offers 16 Apple Watch Sport and Apple Watch models alongside select Apple Watch accessories in stores and online. Apple Watch is now available at select Best ...

It's March 24 in Australia and New Zealand, which means Netflix is now live in the country as promised. New Netflix subscribers in Australia and New Zealand will be able to access Netflix content on their Apple TVs, through the Netflix channel that is now available. Netflix plans in Australia are priced at A$8.99 for single-stream access to standard definition content, A$11.99 for two-stream...

Elle is the first magazine to feature the Apple Watch in Australia with a fashion shoot starring the publication's in-house fashion editor Sara Smith. The multi-page style guide in the latest April issue offers women tips on how to make the Apple Watch work with different wardrobes depending on the time and place, such as during the weekend, at a cocktail party or in the workplace. Apple...

Apple's annual "Back to School" promotion has returned to Australia and New Zealand, as spotted by 9to5Mac. The sale offers an Apple gift card worth between $25 to $100 to university students, students accepted to a university, parents buying for a university student and faculty that purchase a qualifying Mac, iPad or iPhone. The list of qualifying products includes the MacBook Pro, MacBook...

Dow Jones Newswires reports that Apple is facing a fine of roughly $1.9 million to settle a case brought by Australian regulators over Apple's use of the "4G" term in marketing for the new iPad when the device is not compatible with such networks outside of the United States and Canada.A federal court in Melbourne heard Friday that Apple had agreed to pay A$2.25 million to settle a case brought...

Apple has started sending out emails to Australian customers who may have been misled about the advertised "4G" capabilities of the new iPad. Apple explains in the email that the new iPad is not compatible with Australian LTE or WiMAX networks, but does support "fast cellular networks" such as HSPA, HSPA+, and DC-HSDPA The offer for returns is a response to complaints by Australian...

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Australian regulators are taking action to address "misleading" marketing claims regarding the new iPad, with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) announcing that it will pursue injunctions, fines and other remedies in its case. The issue stems from Apple's use of "4G" in its marketing terms for the cellular-capable models of the new...

After the Apple online store came back up following Wednesday's media event, we noted among other observations that the Canadian store was showing a delivery estimate of March 16-20 for orders. While new orders are now shipping on March 22, Apple has noted that when a customer's order arrives within that window is based on delivery zones covering the country. As noted by iPadinCanada, Apple ...