Australia

Several employees at the Carindale Apple Store in Brisbane, Australia were today fired for stealing personal photos from customers and taking pictures of customers and female staff as part of a lewd rating game, according to Australian news site The Courier Mail. The behavior was discovered by at the Carindale Apple Store after an employee caught a technician looking through a customer's...

Apple today made a submission to the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC), arguing that Australia's "Big Three" banks' request to collectively negotiate over Apple Pay is ultimately harmful to consumers, would stifle innovation in mobile payments, and would avoid competitive dynamics (via AppleInsider). The Cupertino company argues that each of the big three banks...

Australian bank ANZ will enable Apple Pay support for MasterCard cardholders starting August 30, four months after adding support for Visa and American Express cards, according to The Australian Business Review.From today, about 500,000 more ANZ customers will have the opportunity to use Apple Pay, as MasterCard is added alongside Visa and American Express.Eligible cards, including the ANZ Low...

Australia's largest carrier Telstra has announced that all of its Go Mobile plans now include data-free Apple Music streaming as of this week, enabling customers to listen to songs and albums without tapping into their monthly data allowance. Telstra's FairPlay policy regarding unreasonable usage applies. In tandem, it continues to offer free six-month Apple Music subscriptions to new customers. ...

Australian retail giant Coles, the Australian Payments Clearing Association (APCA), and the Australian Retailers Association have all expressed their support to allow some of the country's banks to collectively negotiate with Apple over access to its NFC-based digital payment technology (via ZDNEt). Last month, Commonwealth Bank, National Australia Bank (NAB), and Westpac lodged a joint...

An Australian antitrust regulator has denied a request from three of the country's biggest banks to collectively negotiate a deal with Apple over the use of third-party digital wallet software on its iPhones (via AppleInsider). Last month, Commonwealth Bank, National Australia Bank (NAB), and Westpac lodged a joint application with the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) to...

Apple has strongly criticized an attempt by three of Australia's big banks to jointly negotiate a deal over access to the iPhone's NFC mobile payment hardware, claiming it would compromise security and scupper innovation in the field (via Financial Review). In a clear opprobrium of Commonwealth Bank, National Australia Bank (NAB), and Westpac, Apple told the Australian Competition and...

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...