11/05, 9:40am
France may outdo US in store openings
As foreshadowed in late October, Apple today revealed its first Parisian Apple Store, located in the Carrousel du Louvre. The shop is situated within close range of the famous Louvre art museum, and uses an elaborate two-floor design, with unique touches such as diamond-shaped windows. Coinciding with the store launch is the release of a free Mus้e du Louvre iPhone app, which showcases various exhibitions, such as Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa.
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11/03, 1:05pm
Unofficial end occurred months earlier
America's Apple and Orange, a division of France Telecom, have formally dropped an arrangement for exclusive French iPhone sales, says Dow Jones. France was in 2007 one of the first markets to receive the iPhone, and as in other countries at the time, negotiations left only one carrier in control of sales; unlocked phones were still available only through Orange, and at a high premium. Orange rivals SFR and Bouygues Telecom eventually complained to the country's competition regulator, which issued first preliminary then final rulings against exclusivity.
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10/29, 2:30pm
Location to be company's first in Paris
Apple has confirmed the November 7th opening for its retail store located at the Carousel du Louvre. Like many Apple Store openings, the first 5,000 visitors will get a free t-shirt. Customers will be able to check out products on the bottom level, which includes a special area focused on the iPhone. A second floor hosts services such as educational workshops.
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10/28, 6:40pm
Site said to be ready ahead of schedule
Despite earlier reports suggesting the Carousel de Louvre Apple Store would be ready by November 15th, the French site macgeneration now claims the grand opening is scheduled for November 7th. Sources allege the company will provide official details by Friday, including a partnership with the nearest Starbucks to provide free coffee for early birds waiting in line.
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10/19, 8:50pm
Projects appear to be continuing after delays
Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer confirmed plans to open several new retail locations in France and New York City. The executive, speaking at an investor conference call, mentioned that the company is finally ready to reveal the store at Carrousel du Louvre in Paris. Although the project was initially acknowledged by Apple in June of last year, reports early this year suggested construction had begun to stagnate.
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09/15, 1:20pm
Could impose harsh measures on suspects
The French government has taken one step further towards enacting a controversial piece of Internet piracy legislation, says the Associated Press. A bill today passed through the National Assembly, having already gained approval from the Senate in July. Only one step remains before it becomes law, that being a third approval by a committee bridging both houses of parliament.
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08/31, 3:20pm
Piper on US iPhones
The iPhone could be sold through multiple American carriers as soon as next year, suggests Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster. The analyst notes that in France, where Orange was once the exclusive iPhone carrier, Apple now enjoys a "dramatically" higher marketshare as compared to countries where exclusives remain, namely the US. "We believe Apple is seeing the increased unit sell-through more than offset the slightly (~10 percent) deteriorated economics per unit involved in non-exclusive agreements," writes Munster in a new investor note.
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08/27, 4:50pm
France talks iPhone woes
A regional commercial director for Apple will meet with France's consumer affairs minister on Friday, Reuters reports. The pair are set to discuss a series of incidents, in which the touchscreens on several iPhones allegedly shattered with no obvious cause. At least two such cases have been confirmed, which in both circumstances injured device owners with flying glass.
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08/25, 12:05pm
New iPhone explosion
A second confirmed iPhone explosion has occurred in France, Agence France-Presse reports. A supermarket security guard, Yassine Bouhadi, says he was typing out a text message on Monday afternoon, when his phone's touchscreen suddenly blew out. A glass shard is then claimed to have hit his eye; while Bouhadi says he is consulting a doctor, his main concern is filing a lawsuit for damage compensation.
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08/18, 11:00am
Exploding iPhone reports
Apple is looking into media stories of one or more exploding iPhones in Europe, according to European Commission spokeswoman Helen Kearns. Reuters notes that in in France, a teenager says he was injured when his iPhone shattered, shortly after it began making a hissing noise. Although Apple has only stated that it is waiting for the damaged phones before making a judgment, it is noted to be in contact with the Commission.
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06/16, 6:45pm
Europe iPhone 3G S prices
Several European carriers, including Orange in France and T-Mobile in Germany, have announced pricing for the iPhone 3G S. The new handset will be available from Orange on June 19th, with the 16GB model carrying a price of 149 (~$205 USD). Customers choosing the 32GB variant will have to pay 229 (~$315 USD) for the device.
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04/28, 2:55pm
Slow work on Louvre store
Progress is so far slow or non-existent on Apple's Parisian retail store near the Louvre, photos supplied by a MacNN source suggest. The photos, taken on April 24th, show an essentially empty space, without any evidence of the forthcoming occupation by Apple. The site also appears to lack any sign of active construction, though surfaces are clean and possibly ready for tiles and paneling.
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03/11, 3:45pm
Bouygues picks iPhone date
French carrier Bouygues Telecom has set a date of April 29th to begin carrying the iPhone, an announcement reveals. Subscriptions will range in price from approximately 38 to 77 a month, and provide anywhere from two hours of voice calling to four hours of daily talk plus unlimited nights and weekends. Unlike the plans offered in many countries, all of the Bouygues options will include both unlimited texts and unlimited data.
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02/18, 10:55am
New European Apple Stores
Some new and previously-revealed Apple Stores have appeared on an official company map, reports observe. Among these is a site in Paris, France, which is generally expected to appear in the Carrousel du Louvre, but could be beaten by a shop situated near the Garnier operahouse. Also mentioned is a store in Milan, Italy, the potential location of which remains ambiguous.
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02/04, 11:15am
Fra. iPhone kept unlocked
The sudden lifting of iPhone exclusivity in France will remain in effect, a ruling from the Paris Court of Appeals has declared. In December, the country's national competition council ordered Apple and official carrier Orange to temporarily permit other companies to sell the device, pending deeper investigation into complaints from Bouygues Telecom. Apple and Orange subsequently filed an appeal, but this was denied by a Parisian judge in a 19-page Wednesday ruling.
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01/14, 3:50pm
Second Paris Apple Store
In spite of word from Apple, the Carrousel du Louvre Apple Store may not be the first in France, an anonymous source claims. The source suggests that Apple will instead launch its first store on Paris' Rue Hal้vy, located immediately next to the famous Garnier operahouse. The location could be extremely beneficial to Apple, as it is a high-traffic area frequented by tourists and Paris' richer inhabitants.
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01/12, 9:45am
Orange iPhone 3G sales
The official iPhone carrier for France, Orange, achieved solid sales during the Christmas season, according to national newspaper La Tribune. People within Orange are said to be claiming triple the sales of December 2007, or approximately 210,000 phones. Between November 28th and December 31st of 2007, the company is known to have sold roughly 70,000 iPhones.
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12/26, 9:35am
Orange-free French iPhone
People looking for an iPhone in France can now buy one without having to go through the country's official carrier, Orange, a local retailer has announced. FNAC is now selling a contract-free version of the iPhone 3G, though at a significant markup. An 8GB version of the phone is priced at 799 ($1,123), while black or white 16B models are selling for 899 ($1,263). By contrast, similar options in Belgium are priced at only 529 and 619.
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12/18, 9:30am
12 Days at iTunes
Apple will soon be giving away various media downloads as a way of promoting the iTunes Store, the company has confirmed. Starting December 26th, at least in the United Kingdom and France, Apple will be offering one free download every day until January 6th, as a part of its 12 Days of Christmas promotion. The exact identity of the content is unknown, but Apple describes it as varied, consisting mainly of rare singles and exclusive live tracks, as well as music videos.
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12/17, 2:55pm
Apple Expo Paris canceled
Fast on the heels of Apple's announcement that it will pull out of the Macworld 2010 expo, and that CEO Steve Jobs will not keynote the Macworld 2009 event, comes news that Reed Exhibitions has canceled 2009's Apple Expo Paris. Apple itself has had diminishing participation in the show for a number of years; Jobs scrapped a 2005 keynote, though he and Apple attended the show as his first appearance after cancer surgery. He has not visited the show in any capacity since 2006.
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12/17, 9:40am
French iPhone to go open
Apple must at least temporarily allow carriers other than Orange to sell the iPhone in France, the country's competition regulator has ordered. The ruling stems from a complaint filed in September by Bouygues Telecom, accusing Apple and Orange of hurting competition. The regulator has so far agreed, calling the deal a "serious and immediate threat" to competition in the cellular world, as well as something that could lead to increased costs for people switching carriers.
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08/26, 1:05pm
Orange admits 3G speed cap
French cellphone carrier Orange has admitted to imposing artificial limits on its 3G broadband network, reports say. The confession comes after complaints from a number of iPhone 3G owners, who in testing their download capacity discovered that they were limited to a maximum of 400Kbps, as compared to the 1.8Mbps possible on T-Mobile's German network. Most 3G networks are limited to a peak speed of 3.2Mbps, although some may support 7.2Mbps.
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07/16, 3:40pm
French iPhone 3G prices
Orange France, the only carrier in the initial iPhone 3G launch to miss July 11th, has officially unveiled its prices for the local release at 8AM on the 17th. In general, an 8GB phone with Origami costs 149, while a 16GB one is 199. These prices escalate to 199 and 249, though, when people pick the Zen/Star 1h & 2h package, and 399 and 499 with a block package.
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07/04, 3:05pm
Apple Expo 08 dates events
Apple Expo '08 Europe's major Apple conference, akin to Macworld in the US is set to occur from September 17th to the 20th in Paris, France, and the organization has detailed several of the planned events. The Unofficial Apple Weblog details that the conference will see two iPhone events among the 30 other currently planned occasions. Access to the event is currently free, but will cost 12 without a pre-registered access badge.
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06/26, 9:40am
France, Sweden iPhone info
New details for the release of the iPhone 3G have been published in several European countries. French carrier Orange has announced that the 8GB model will cost 149 in tandem with an iPhone-specific contract and high-end options such as Origami, First and Jet. Under the same arrangement, a 16GB phone will cost 199. Owners of present 2.5G iPhones will be able to upgrade for 99 and 149, though only people who bought before June 12th will eligible, and the discount is through a 100 rebate and a renewed, two-year iPhone contract.
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06/11, 3:20pm
French iPhone delayed?
Despite the wording of Monday's keynote speech by Apple CEO Steve Jobs, the iPhone 3G will not ship in France on July 11th, new information indicates. While Apple has touted France as one of 22 countries to receive the new iPhone on the 11th, local carrier Orange has issued a press release in which the 3G is identified as launching six days later in France, on July 17th. This date is duplicated by a splash page on Apple's own French website.
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06/05, 12:45pm
FT moves on TeliaSonera
France Telecom has entered negotiations to buy Sweden's TeliaSonera, writes the Wall Street Journal. Although no formal offer has been made, France Telecom says it has begun discussing the idea with TeliaSonera's board of directors, as well as its two biggest shareholders. A combination cash and share offer has been proposed, valued at 39 percent over TeliaSonera's share price on April 15th; when considered with its present stock value, this makes the deal worth approximately 252 billion kronor, or $42 billion.
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06/03, 11:10am
Apple confirms Expo no-go
Apple is confirming rumors that it will not attempt September's Apple Expo in Paris, a French publication reports. Anonymous sources noted yesterday that Apple's normal floor space at the event, generally reserved months in advance, has remained nowhere to be seen in plans for 2008. An Apple representative now says that the company has officially withdrawn from the Expo, as part of a deliberate, long-term strategy.
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06/03, 9:45am
Third Houston Apple Store
Apple has announced that its third store in Houston, Texas will open this Saturday, June 7th. The shop (not pictured) is located within the Willowbrook Mall, near Dillards and JC Penney, and on opening day will be open from 10AM to 9PM. Sunday hours are 11AM to 7PM, and weekday hours are a consistent 10AM to 9PM. As with other Apple Stores, people will have access to services like the Genius Bar, personal training, and personal shopping appointments; no workshops, however, are scheduled within the first three days of the store's opening.
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06/02, 10:35am
Apple foregoes Apple Expo
Despite having its name attached, Apple itself will not be participating in the 2008 Apple Expo in Paris, France, people organizing the event are said to have learned. Apple would normally have clearly designated spaces at the Expo, say the sources, identified as "Apple" and "Apple Store;" in plans for the 2008 event, these names are nowhere to be found. Organizing company Reed Expositions is expected to make some form of announcement one way or another later this week, with the event itself being scheduled for September 17th to the 20th.
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05/29, 10:05am
iTunes France TV shows
After some delay relative to its neighbors in Europe, France is the latest country to officially gain access to TV shows through the iTunes Store (link). Content consists of a mix of foreign and local programming, with local networks including ARTE, Dargaud TV, Dupuis TV, France 2 and TF1 Vision. The two foreign broadcasters are American ones, ABC and MTV.
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04/25, 4:00pm
French fiber-optics law
On Thursday, the French government announced its plans to pass a law that would require all new apartment buildings to be pre-wired with fiber-optic cable for Internet access. A proposal that would include such a requirement is reported to go in front of the Parliament this spring, and will involve all buildings of at least 25 units. The government is trying to speed along adoption of fast broadband access with this law, as the country's three biggest Internet providers have committed to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on fiber-optic networks in the near future.
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04/25, 11:05am
European iPhone efforts
Apple's general manager of operations in Europe, Pascal Cagni, has vowed that the company will improve sales of the iPhone on the continent. "We can incontestably do better in Europe," Cagni tells French newspaper Les Echos. While not completely disastrous, sales of the iPhone have been lower than expected in Europe, with France having only recently passed the 100,000 unit mark. Both Germany and the UK have slashed prices in order to boost sales, although this is likely to clear stock in advance of a 3G iPhone.
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04/18, 10:45am
Orange to cut iPhone price
Apple is in discussions with Orange about lowering the cost of the French iPhone, Les Echos reports. The newspaper cites an inside source, who claims that Apple is putting pressure on Orange to change to a subsidized pricing model, under which the public would have to pay less for the device. At present Orange is charging at least 399 ($635), making not only for an expensive product, but one of the most costly versions of the iPhone in Europe.
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04/17, 3:20pm
Orange Read&Go reader
French telecom company Orange has announced a new e-book reader, entitled the Read&Go. While most such readers -- like the Kindle -- are meant to be universal devices, Orange's machine concentrates almost exclusively on newspapers, namely Le Monde, Le Parisien, Les Echos, L'Equipe and T้l้rama. These are updated hourly throughout the day, through the unusual offering of both 3G and Wi-Fi reception. By contrast the Kindle is only equipped with 3G, and strictly through Sprint's EVDO service.
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02/06, 10:55pm
Orange sells 90K iPhones
France's Orange wireless service provider will reach its goal of 100,000 iPhones a little late, past its earlier anticipated target of the end of last year. January saw the total count reach 90,000 units, as compared to 70,000 in the month prior. CNN Money reports that half of the purchased units were going to new Orange customers. For the rest of 2008, Orange hopes to sell between 400,000 and 500,000 units.
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12/20, 3:15pm
Air France tests cellular
Air France has become the world's first airline to equip an international flight with a form of regular cellular technology, says the Associated Press. One of the company's Airbus A318s now lets users send e-mail and text messages through an onboard GSM antenna, which connects to a satellite that in turn transmits to the ground. The main obstacle for the service, at the moment, is infrequency; aside from only being a part of a six-month test, not all flights on the A318 will have access. To this end a "No Mobile" light has been installed in the plane.
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12/14, 9:50am
'Unlocked' Orange iPhones
Foreign shoppers hoping to buy an unlocked iPhone from France will be disappointed, accounts suggest. Other than Germany's T-Mobile, France's Orange is the only carrier to sell unlocked iPhones; and at 749 apiece, they are a full 250 cheaper than the next legal option. Despite being marketed as carrier-free, however, the phones in fact turn out to be country-locked, meaning they can only be used with SIM cards for French carriers. Should an owner want to call outside of France, they will still need a plan with a French carrier and the money to pay roaming fees.
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12/10, 10:45am
Popular EU gadgets: iPod
Apple's iPod and iPhone rank among the top gadgets so far this holiday season in Europe, according to a comScore study designed to track the frequency of online searches. The firm studied 20 different models of gadgets from the game console, mobile phone, and portable music player markets across the UK, France, and Germany during the first three weeks of November. The study found that Apple's iPod is the second most popular item with 3.5 million searches, while the company's iPhone is the fifth most searched device.
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12/05, 4:00pm
Orange Visual Voicemail
Countering a previous announcement that said Visual Voicemail would not be available in France until February, users in metropolitan areas of France are reporting that they have full access to the service. SetteB.IT recently spoke with Louis Michel Aymard, spokesman for France Telecom, and he confirmed that visual voice mail had been operational since November 29th. This is especially good news for French iPhone users, since Orange has sold 30,000 of them to customers in five days, with 48% signing up for the two year contract.
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12/05, 9:15am
30,000 French iPhones sold
Orange sold approximately 30,000 iPhones within the first five days of their availability in France, one French publication reports. What's more, Orange says that 20 percent of all French iPhones sold were unlocked -- or usable with cellular carriers other than Orange -- at a 750 premium vs. iPhones tied to Orange service, which sell for 400. Yesterday a German court overturned a previous injunction that forced Apple's carrier in the region to sell unlocked handsets in the same manner. [corrected]
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11/28, 5:00pm
Orange iPhone, Canada
French iPhone users will have to wait for visual voicemail, and a website is offering Canadians the chance to purchase an unlocked iPhone just in time for Christmas. With the iPhone launch in France just around the corner, Orange has officially noted that visual voicemail services will not be immediately available, that users will have to wait until the end of January to use the function. In addition to this setback, SetteB.IT reports that Orange will also apply a 500MB limit to EDGE data connections, and will limit access to any of the 30,000 Orange hotspots to 10 hours per month, or 100 hours for customers with the upper level plan. SetteB.IT also discovered that Orange plans to sell the unlocked version of the iPhone for 750 euros, 250 euros less than its German counterpart, T-Mobile.
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11/28, 9:40am
iPhone premieres in France
The iPhone is now on sale in France, according to reports. Agence France-Presse writes that the device's primary carrier, Orange, is selling it in three different price tiers: a base 399 level that requires an Orange plan, a 549 plan-free version, and finally a 749 phone (incorporating a 100 access fee) that can be used on competing phone networks. The phone is only available from 12 outlets until Thursday however, and Orange says that over 50,000 orders have already been placed. Some third-party French websites are said to be selling the iPhone, but Orange is threatening legal action.
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11/27, 5:00pm
Orange iPhone numbers
As the launch of the French iPhone approaches, France Telecom's Orange wireless anticipates being able to sell 100,000 iPhones by the end of 2007. Reuters reports that as the company is bracing themselves for the upcoming launch, competitors Vivendi SFR and Bouygues Telecom are preparing to counter the release with 3G+ service on their networks. Apple is hoping that the device's cult status will overcome both competing services, and the prospect of the two year contract something that is unappealing in a country where unlocked phones are commonplace.
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