“As a result, Canadian Apple Retail stores won’t be selling the new 3G touchscreen phones come Friday, representatives for the Cupertino-based company said during a private conference call on Monday evening. Instead, it will be up to Rogers and its partner Fido to lock subscribers into steep 3-year contracts that require a minimum monthly payment of $60 for just 150 minutes, 75 text messages, and 400MB of data,” Jade reports.
“Calls to Canadian Apple retail stores early Tuesday confirmed the move once over,” Jade reports.
Full article here.
We often use “Canada’s Rogers” in headlines, but we’re really beginning to think we have it backwards. Why not just rename the country “Rogers,” eh, Canucks?
Canadians who don’t like Rogers’ prices should examine their nearest mirror in order to assign blame.
You know, “boycott” means the same in English and in French.
Leave it to Apple to begin fixing Canada’s monopoly quagmire where Canada’s lawmakers (who elected them, again?) and regulators (do you have any up there?) have failed their country miserably, but shouldn’t Apple have either agreed beforehand on reasonable rates or not done a deal with Rogers in the first place?
So who was listening in on this “private conference call”?
Good for Apple. Glad to hear they still keep the customer’s in mind.
How does this benefit the customer or Apple for that matter … still far too expensive to deal with Rogers … so not many phones will be sold … how about a different carrier …
those unlocked usa phones are looking pretty good right now
Good for Apple!!!
It’s the right call, keep the pressure up on Rogers…..
I would say boycott the ‘Blow Jays’ at Rogers centre, but I think think anyone watches or cares about them anyways…
(I can’t change the channel away fast enough on TSN from the Jay highlights with an empty Skydome in the back ground)
But I digress!! BOYCOTT ROGERS!
Rogers is renamed Robbers in Canada.
i meant ‘I dont think anyone watches’ the Blue Jays….
I ‘Blew’ that one, LOL
It’s Canada, who cares?
Canada is the United States’ hat. Inconsequential, at best.
I currently have a $45 plan with Rogers for 350 minutes (actually 700 minutes, signed up on promotion). According to Rogers, who collapsed under the pressure, I can use my existing plan with the iPhone, but since it has no data, I would need to add a data option.
Here they are:
– $15 for 2.5MB
or
– $40 for 12.5MB
Their $30 for 300MB option isn’t available to me because I signed up on promotion.
If I gave up my promotion in order to get a reasonable data package, my daytime minutes would drop from 700 down to 150, and I’d still be paying more.
I also have unlimited WAP browsing on my account for an extra $20, but they still charge me for WAP browsing at 5¢ per KB. Go figure.
The same would apply if I purchased the iPhone. Go figure. Just can’t win.
This is exactly, and I mean exactly, what socialistic ideals take a country and its people. It reduces competition, and creates monopolies – among hundreds of other piss poor results.
I don’t mean to get on the political bandwagon, but tis the season… I can’t imagine our health-care system being put into the hands of the Federal government…
In state after after state – even the GOP’s own Mitt Romney’s plan in Mass – are all nearly bankrupt or heading there – all socialized medicine plans.
Here’s a thought – get government OUT of the way of competition, and not regulate and be lobbied to death on these issues by big companies covered over with talk to the masses of idealism. Please…
As a very famous President once said “The scariest words in the English language are: I’m from the government and I’m here to help.” Ronald Reagan.
Do yourself a society a huge freedom favor this political fall season and vote for the people running for office who are not proposing the government as the salvation for all our ills.
RE: MacDailyNews Take: We often use “Canada’s Rogers” in headlines, but we’re really beginning to think we have it backwards. Why not just rename the country “Rogers,” eh, Canucks?
Leave it to Apple to begin fixing Canada’s monopoly quagmire where Canada’s lawmakers and regulators (do you have any up there?) have failed their country miserably,…
They are just following the lead of amerikans again… seeing as Apple has been trying to fix amerikas/Microsofts monopoly quagmire for decades… where are amerikas lawmakers and regulators (do you have any down there?) they have failed their country miserably since Bush gave MS a free pass… among many other Bush related failures….
(sigh) amerikans…. always ready to point a finger yet fail to see there own shortcomings
“but shouldn’t Apple either agreed beforehand on reasonable rates or not done a deal with Rogers in the first place?”
—————-
Yes, and whether Apple agreed with the pricing or not, they knew very well what Rogers rates were going to be beforehand.. This is nothing but a PR move to make Apple look good..
@Begs the Question
Go away please.
First of all Canada is an awesome huge country, even bigger than the US and cold too, so frankly mobile phones are not really a lot of fun when it is minus 20 below (that’s Celsius of course).
Second, while Canada does have lawmakers and regulators, as anyone who can use google will know. However, it has something a lot better than that, people that care, and many Canadians have petitioned Rogers and certainly that must have impressed Apple Computers cause they have done something about it. Maybe the rest of their country will follow suit. That certainly would be refreshing for while there are lots of so called American regulators and law makers it certainly is for show, considering this is a country that tortures people and goes off into illegal war without much of a quibble from the people, who are usually too busy badmouthing others in a feeble attempt to distract others from their own stench.
So good on Apple for taking note of the power of the Canadian people.
I hope their shares take a hit from this development!
They deserve it!!!!
@ begs the question
Canada is not the USA’s “hat.”
Canada is a lot bigger than the USA and it’s sandwiched between tiny Alaska and the continental states. In that sense, it’s probably more accurate to say that Alaska is Canada’s “hat” and the USA is “Canada’s pants.”
And if the USA is pants, we all know what Florida must be.
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Sigh… not to start yet another pissing contest across our respective border, but it sure is tiresome reading MDN’s comments on Canada’s legal system, economy, weather, morales … etc. etc. etc. and how totally lacking we are up here compared to the great and wonderful USA.
Take off, eh !!
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Apple needs to find a new carrier for Canada. Roger’s will still make money off the suckers that go with their inflated plans.
re: “RE: MDN’s Take”
Whoever you are, as far as MDN’s take, it’s insulting for sure, but if anyone should be using the socialist “K” in the spelling of their country’s name, it’s Kanada.
I would love to see a Roger’s phone bill and add up all the surcharges and taxes to see just how much of that Roger’s gets to keep. I’d also like to see how much taxes Roger’s has to pay in general to remain in business.
Someone is paying for all that “free” health care.
That’s what happens when you sell out for subsidies and give the carriers control over your product.
As soon as Steve Jobs went for the subsidy and signed his soul on the dotted line, he lost his leverage at the negotiating table and the iPhone became just like any other handset.
This never would’ve happened if he stuck with the model of the 1stGen and helped break the carriers’ backs rather than buddy up to them.
Hope they do the same in Dk. (Apple not Rogers)
@Steven – Socialism 101
You twit! Try reading a bit about the political structure of a nation before you touch a keyboard. We are not the US of A. We do not have a forced 2/4 year election cycle. The cell phone operators are business enterprises, not government agencies, though they are subject to government oversite as are US providers. Our government is doing the right thing by NOT getting involved. Where did you get the confused notion that they were?
This is a battle that is being fought in and by the marketplace. Consumers have a right to not purchase a product if the value is not seen to exceed or equal the price charged. Rogers or the consumer will “win” based solely on that.
54 40 or fight, you wanks.
I can say pretty certainly, that Apple would not have known what Rogers rate plans would have been. Contractually, I am sure that Rogers was expected to offer a “fair” deal for the consumer. Now compare the iPhone plans with Rogers data plans a year ago. You are getting a fair deal as far as Rogers sees things. You Canadians wanted a better package, you got a better package. Now, either buy the phone or don’t.
I love capitalism, “you are selling a product that I don’t have to buy, but if I do buy it you are expecting me to pay how much??”
Communismada
Nice country you all have there. “I want all the benefits of a fair marketplace, but I want to dictate to you how much you can charge me for your own product.”
The revisionism is incredible. Apple hasn’t done anything. Rogers still gets to sell the iPhone at their stores and should they not have enough to go around (which I doubt will be the case), they can make up for a lack of supply with the slew of iClone manufacturers knocking at the door.
This move is like Obama saying he’ll vote for FISA and then issuing that dumb ass, patronizing statement to humble his blind supporters. In the end he’s still voting for it.