Apple has dramatically expanded the presence of iTunes in Europe, reports say. In addition to Poland, the iTunes Music Store is now accessible in 11 more European countries. The remainder of the list includes Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.
(Updated with Swedish info) Ten more European Union countries should soon be getting access to the iTunes Music Store, according to a music industry source in touch with Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita. Only Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic are mentioned by name. Apple though is said to be essentially ready to go with the expansion; a separate source suggests an October launch, which could in theory coincide with the company's October 4th press event or follow sometime thereafter.
Apple has expanded the reach of its online store to four more countries. Of the group, all but one are European, including Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic. The sole exception is the United Arab Emirates. For each country, welcome graphics have been edited to reflect colors of the national flag.
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 has formally debuted the iPad in 10 additional countries. In eastern Asia, the tablet is now available in Taiwan and South Korea, joining the likes of China and Japan. The remaining launches are all European, and include Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Sweden and the Czech Republic.
Apple's legal team has sent a cease-and-desist request to a popular Polish news site, AppleMania, reports say. The site's name and logo allegedly violate Apple trademarks, which the company also suggests could potentially confuse the public as to the relationship between the two parties. AppleMania is accused of reaping "unfair benefits" that could "lead to the dilution of the distinctive power of Apple's trademarks."
A Polish carrier of the iPhone is faking interest to attract publicity, says Reuters. Although enormous American interest in the iPhone has resulted in long lines, the Polish division of Orange is said to be using reverse logic, intentionally staging lines in front of its stores in order to attract people for Friday's iPhone 3G launch. Instead of genuine customers, the people in line are actually actors, hired as part of a promotional campaign.
Several more deals are in the works for expanding iPhone distribution, says Thomson Financial News. The group first writes that Orange, owned by France Telecom, is seeking to sell the iPhone outside of its home territory, where the device has been available since November. Orange CFO Gervais Pellissier says his company is currently in negotiations with Apple on the matter, and is looking to bring the iPhone to countries such as Spain and Poland, "among others." The carrier also has operations in regions such as Romania, Slovakia, Israel and the UK.
