Apple has expanded an iPhone and iPad recycling program to the UK, France, and Germany, accounts say. In the US, people can trade in old iPhones and iPads for Apple gift cards. The program is operating differently in the new countries, where people are instead getting cash deposited directly into their bank accounts.
Samsung has reportedly unveiled a new Galaxy Tab model, the 7.0N. The tablet is a new version of the original 7-inch Galaxy Tab, but does have some modest upgrades, including a forward-facing speaker and the inclusion of Android 3.2 by default. An Android 4.0 update is promised in the future. The tablet's main purpose though is the presence of a 10.1N-style metal frame, a design trait Samsung has been using to deflect Apple legal action in Germany.
A Mac news site in Germany called iTopNews has taken photos of the construction going on around what will be Berlin's first Apple retail store, located in a historic century-old building that was once named the "Vienna." The building has been curtained without activity for some months, and largely empty since a Dali exhibit there in 2008. It will be the ninth store in Germany.
A German government agency that oversees privacy issues has reportedly approved Google's implementation of facial recognition technology. Although the same agency has warned that it will take action against Facebook for using similar technology, the regulators are said to be less concerned with Google's opt-in approach.
Apple has quietly confirmed plans for its first Berlin store. Local websites ifun and Macerkopf report that the company has posted job listings for the outlet, calling for a full range of retail workers. Although Apple isn't specifying the exact location of the store, construction and black barricades have been spotted at Kurfürstendamm 26, the site rumored for almost a year.
Following a botched rollout on Wednesday, Apple has today officially expanded iTunes Match to Canada and the UK. In Canada the service costs $28 a year, while in the UK annual pricing is set at £22. Unlike regular iCloud options, iTunes Match allows a person to mirror and remotely access their entire music library, regardless of whether the content is on iTunes.
Global iPlayer will make it to the iPhone and iPod touch on December 8th, the BBC has announced. The paid video-on-demand service has been available on the iPad for about five months. A list of countries getting the iPhone app on the 8th includes Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Ireland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
Germany's Bavarian State Authority for Data Protection has sent a letter to Apple, formally requesting information about Carrier IQ, says the head of the government body, Thomas Kranig. "We read in the press about the privacy concerns the software may pose and decided to ask Apple about the details," he explains. "If Apple decided to cease the use, all the better."
Apple could take a $2.7 billion hit if it loses one of its patent disputes with Motorola, the company has claimed to a German court. In the case at hand, Motorola is suing Apple over an email sync patent. Apple has not stated a justification for the $2.7 billion figure, but put it forward as the amount the court should require as collateral from Motorola should the latter party win its case.
Apple is opening its eighth German Apple Store on Thursday, at 9:30AM local time. The outlet will be based in the Main-Taunus-Zentrum shopping mall in Sulzbach, on the outskirts of Frankfurt. It is in fact approximately 10 miles from the Große Bockenheimer Straße location in downtown Frankfurt, the country's financial capital.
Apple has unveiled plans for an iOS 5 Tech Talk World Tour. Apple experts are scheduled to visit nine cities during the tour, including Berlin, London, Rome, Beijing, Seoul, São Paolo, New York City, Seattle, and Austin. Events will start in Berlin on November 2nd and end in Austin on January 23rd. Registration for January 13th's New York City event is already full.
Apple will release the iPhone 5 in five countries on Friday, October 14th, claims Japanese site Macotakara. Specifically the device is expected to launch in the US, UK, France, Germany and Japan. The timing is consistent with accounts that Apple is blacking out the 14th and 15th for Apple Store workers looking to go on vacation, and past reports pointing to a launch sometime between the 7th and the 15th.
At least two new Apple Stores are set to open this Saturday, checks confirm. The first is a Jungfernstieg location in Hamburg, Germany, which will represent the first time Apple has built more than one outlet per city in the country. Reports originally called for the shop to debut on the 10th, but the opening may simply have been delayed a week, for whatever reason.
Apple has announced that two more international store openings will occur alongside the Burlington, Ontario launch happening this Saturday. In Germany the company is unveiling an Augsburg outlet, located within the City-Galerie. The opening will mark just the sixth for the country, which has still to see an Apple Store in the capital of Berlin, though plans are underway.
Deutsche Telekom will soon start selling iPad 2s in its stores, Dow Jones reports. While the carrier has offered iPad data plans for some time, the actual tablets have been sold elsewhere, whether through Apple Stores or third-party retailers. DT's in-house iPad sales will cover five different countries, including stores in Germany, Austria, Greece, Poland and the Netherlands.
Apple should launch its second store in Hamburg, Germany on September 10th, sources are claiming. Supporting the idea is Tuesday's removal of the scaffolding in front of the outlet, which was previously in place for about six months. The Jungfernstieg outlet is still concealed by a black construction curtain, but the tip of an Apple logo can be seen sticking out from behind.
Despite the significant marketing efforts Nokia has put behind its MeeGo flagship handset, the N9, the company appears to be shrinking its launch plans to include fewer countries. After admitting that there is no intention to bring the N9 to the US or the UK, the company has told MobiFlip the device will not be heading to Germany, Austria or Switzerland.
Samsung has quickly responded to its loss against Apple in German courts, where a judge approved a preliminary injunction against the Galaxy Tab 10.1. Although the decision in Germany is widely viewed as a threat to Galaxy Tab distribution throughout the entire European Union, Samsung suggests the move is not yet final and will not have an affect on the other legal battles the company is fighting against Apple in other markets.
Two new Apple Stores have been confirmed. Coming this Saturday is the Valencia Town Center location in California. Regular hours will run 10AM to 9PM Monday through Saturday, and 11AM to 6PM on Sunday; a steady stream of workshops has already been scheduled. The outlet will be Apple's 49th in the state, representing the largest concentration of Apple Stores in the US. The next closest state, Texas, has only 17.
Online shipping times for the white iPhone 4 are stretching out in a number European countries. Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Ireland and the UK are some of the major countries now listing a delay of a flat five days. Black iPhones are more readily available, shipping in the space of a day or two.
The German government has joined groups requesting an explanation for an unprotected location history file in iOS 4, says Reuters. The country's consumer protection ministry is asking Apple to answer "a string of open questions," namely "where, for how long, and for what purpose the data is saved, who has access to it, and how it is protecting against unauthorized access." An Apple Germany spokesman has so far refused to comment.
A grand opening for the first Dresden, Germany Apple Store is scheduled for this Thursday, Apple has announced. The shop is located at the Altmarkt-Galerie, and on Thursday will be open for extended hours of 8AM to 10PM. Similar extensions are planned for Friday and Saturday; Friday hours will run from 9:30AM to 10PM, while Saturday hours will stretch from 9:30AM to midnight.
Two more Apple Stores are confirmed for Europe, reports say. The first is coming to Madrid, Spain, where a shop will open by the end of the year in the Parquesur mall, located within the city's southern suburbs. The mall is said to be one of the largest in Europe, with over 230 vendors. The new outlet will be roughly 10 miles away from the Xanadu Apple Store, and only 7 miles away from the upcoming Puerta del Sol location downtown.
Apple has removed the Nazi Party anthem from the German version of the iTunes Store, Reuters reports. Called the Horst Wessel Lied, the song is officially banned in Germany except for educational purposes. It was nevertheless sold in the country by Apple and Amazon until a regional newspaper, the Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung, drew attention to the matter on Wednesday. The piece is still available in other countries' iTunes Stores.
The sudden medical leave announced by Apple CEO Steve Jobs this morning is already having an effect on stock trading, according to Reuters. The agency reports that Apple shares fell 7.5 percent on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange by 2:38PM GMT; futures on the S&P 500 SPc1 and the NASDAQ NDc have slipped 0.3 and 0.9 percent, respectively. The impact of the announcement has been muted by Apple's decision to make it on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, when US markets are closed.
Apple has settled on a place to build a Berlin Apple Store, local sources are quoted as saying. The location has been narrowed down to the Kurfürstendamm, in the western half of the city. Specifically Apple is said to have secured a former movie theatre across from the Hard Rock Cafe, giving it access to 5,000 square feet of indoor space.
A bevy of new Apple Stores are in the works for 2011, a report says. At least several of these are forecast to open in Italy by the middle of the year, including one in Bologna, a previously unexpected outlet in Florence, and a second Milan location. Possible addresses for the Milan and Florence stores remain unknown.
Apple has posted People's Choice shortlists for iTunes Best Album & Song 2010, a voting competition being run by Apple. Some of the eligible albums include Lungs by Florence + The Machine, Sigh No More by Mumford & Sons, and Immersion by Pendulum. A few of the songs on offer include "Pack Up" by Eliza Doolittle, "Telephone" by Lady GaGa, and "Ridin' Solo" by Jason Derülo.
Confirming recent media claims, Apple has announced plans for a European iAd expansion. The network will officially expand to the UK and France and December, with Germany following in January. As in the US, the initial roster of advertisers consists of high-profile corporations. The list so far includes: L’Oréal, Renault, Louis Vuitton, Nespresso, Perrier, Unilever, Citi, Evian, LG Display, AB InBev, Turkish Airlines and Absolute Radio.
Just one day after Google was found to be in violation of UK regulations for its Street View data collection methods, the company is now under fire in Germany for failing to blur images that should be hidden. The Street View feature, which just launched in Germany, was supposed to prevent users from viewing properties that owners had opted out of the program.
At least several of Apple's European online stores are offline, investigation shows. The UK, French, German, Spanish and Swedish stores are all down as of about noon Eastern time, with no indication of when they might return other than "soon." Countries in other continents, such as Canada and the United States, are notably unaffected.
Prices for the Mac mini have been slashed in many regions around the world, Apple is said to have confirmed. Macerkopf notes that in Germany, for example, the cost of a base-level 2.4GHz Mini with a 320GB hard drive has fallen €100 to sit at €709. A Snow Leopard Server edition of the computer now starts at €999, as compared to a previous €1,149.
Apple is now selling unlocked versions of the iPhone 4 and 3GS in its German retail and online stores. An 8GB 3GS is €519, while 16 and 32GB iPhone 4s are €629 and €739, respectively. Although a 3GS should ship in one to two weeks, both iPhone 4 models have a minimum two-week wait, in contrast with the US.
Shipping times for the MacBook Pro have changed from 24 hours to two days in the UK, a MacNN reader observes. The wait is present for other MacBook models as well, including the Air and the basic plastic version. Two-day delays can also be spotted in the French and German online Apple Stores.
O2 and Vodafone have both announced plans to sell the iPhone 4 in Germany, according to Dow Jones. Launches should take place within the next few weeks, although subscription plans and pricing details have yet to be revealed. The news marks the end of a contract between Apple and T-Mobile, which has given the latter party exclusive rights to carry the German iPhone since 2007.
The upcoming weekend will see a flurry of international Apple Store launches, the company has confirmed. Germany is getting a fourth store on Saturday, based in Oberhausen's CentrO shopping complex. The facility is described as the largest of its kind in Europe, with luxuries such as a movie theater, water park and even a model train layout.
Details on two more international Apple Stores may have emerged. The most concrete information comes from real estate sources, who say that Apple's third Shanghai store will be based in the nearly-completely Henderson Metropolitan building on Nanjing East Road. The facility will have five levels of retail space below its office sections, and be relatively close to the heart of Shanghai's major shopping district, along Nanjing West Road.
Deutsche Telekom-owned carrier T-Mobile will soon lose its exclusive hold over German iPhone sales, sources tell the Wall Street Journal. O2 and Vodafone are expected to begin selling iPhones in the country in time for the Christmas shopping season. Negotiations are allegedly still ongoing, but already at an advanced stage. Launch times are contingent on the end of T-Mobile's exclusivity agreement, which could come as soon as October.
Auction site eBay has broadened the international support of its apps for iOS and Android devices. In the former category, eBay Selling is now available in the German and UK App Stores. The app is said to be intended for "casual" sellers, and so doesn't support all eBay.com options; it does, however, let people quickly snap a picture for insertion into a listing.
Apple should immediately disclose the details of the location data it is collecting from handhelds, says Germany's federal justice minister, Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger. The terms of the iTunes Store were recently amended to grant Apple and its partners the right to track the "real-time geographic location" of devices, specifically to "provide and improve location-based products and services." While in theory meant to support apps like Find My iPhone, users have no choice but to accept the terms if they want to use iTunes. Critics have also complained about the possibility of abuse or leaks.
AT&T has "temporarily suspended" iPhone 4 and 8GB iPhone 3GS pre-orders, according to a message on the carrier's website. The company has been unable to cope with the demand so far, resulting in many web requests timing out. On top of this it has received numerous complaints of privacy leaks, which involved the wrong person's information being displayed after logging into an account.
Apple and carriers in several countries have opened up pre-orders for the iPhone 4, due to ship on June 24th. In the United States, online pre-orders can be made through the Apple Store or via AT&T. A 16GB phone costs $199 with a two-year contract, while a 32GB phone is $299. Also up for pre-order is an 8GB iPhone 3GS, priced at $99.
Shipping times for international iPads are finally returning to a fixed schedule, updates at Apple's online stores indicate. The stores for Germany, Italy and the UK now show times of seven to 10 business days for all models. Previously, iPads were only set to ship in a broad "June" timeframe.
Digiarty has announced that it is giving away free copies of HD Video Converter for Mac until June 20th. Supporting over 200 video and audio codecs, the app converts videos into formats compatible with a variety of devices. This includes multi-track HD videos containing several language and video tracks. Digiarty adds that it is also currently offering a small discount on DVD Ripper for Mac, bringing the price down to $36.
Apple today confirmed earlier leaks and announced a new iPhone, the iPhone 4. The model is the very first to feature a forward-facing camera for video calling. It further adds an LED flash, and the 960x460 IPS "retina display," said to have four times the pixel density of the iPhone 3GS at 326ppi, and four times the contrast ratio at 800:1. Earlier apps are automatically enhanced to fit the new resolution, but mainly in terms of their interfaces.
It is unclear when new international iPad orders will ship, investigation reveals. While the first pre-ordered wave of tablets is set to reach homes and stores by May 28th, Apple's online storefronts in the UK, Italy and Germany now all display vague "June" shipping times. Previously, after launch-day supplies had been exhausted, the company began claiming a June 7th shipping date.
Samsung has launched its Wave smartphone slightly ahead of schedule in Germany. Local customers can pick up Samsung's first Bada handset for 429 Euros (~$545 USD) unlocked. The device features a 3.3-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen with 800x480 resolution, a 1GHz CPU, five-megapixel camera with 720p video recording, and Bluetooth 3.0.
Apple is already pushing out the shipping times for international iPad pre-orders, checks show. The first wave of tablets is set to ship on May 28th, to Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK. All of Apple's online storefronts in those countries now display a June 7th shipping date for new customers.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs has been busy defending the company against accusations of high international iPad prices, reports mention. While US iPads can cost as little as $499, foreign ones may be substantially more expensive, namely in Germany and the United Kingdom. Regarding the UK, Jobs is said to be offering the same explanation across multiple e-mails.
Most or all countries getting the iPad on May 28th will also get iBooks and access to the iBookstore at the same time, Apple has disclosed. So far confirmed are Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, Spain and the UK. France, Germany and Switzerland are likely to have iBooks support as well, but this has yet to be mentioned by Apple.
