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Apple Inc.'s well-received iPhone handset will soon be in the hands of Canadian customers, according to Best Buy.
"It's beautiful, it's powerful and it's been all over the news; the question on the minds of Canadians from coast to coast is 'when can we get our hands on the iPhone?,'" wrote Best Buy. "The iPhone will be coming to Canada; we want you to be the first to know."
The retailer allows shoppers to sign up to its weekly newsletter with an option to be updated "on all Canadian iPhone Elements."
Still, it's unclear whether Best Buy will play a role in the Canadian iPhone launch or if its website posting is merely an attempt to capitalize on the buzz generated by the Apple device thus far.
For its part, Apple has not yet said with which wireless carriers it plans to partner on iPhone outside of the US. However, Rogers Wireless, Canada's largest provider and the only regional carrier with an iPhone-compatible GSM network, has long been perceived as the frontrunner.
In fact, Rogers in January issued a customer advisory notice declaring that it had sealed a deal with Apple to become the exclusive carrier for iPhone in Canada.
The advisory, which was later contradicted by a company spokesperson, claimed that while availability and pricing were still being sorted out, Rogers would be the only national wireless carrier to offer the Apple handset.
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29 Comments
I hope this isn't all light and no heat. The respective players have all been maddeningly quiet on the iPhone's future in Canada. I always expected a lag between the US and CAN launch- this is always going to be the case when 3rd parties are involved. Such as in the impact the CRTC is having on getting TV and MOVIE content to iTunes in Canada. Still, I think a target date would satisfy many...
With Apple and ATT selling some huge quantity of iPhones, and learning from the massive rush to activate them, they should learn a thing or two about what to expect. This should lead to a smoother roll out for Canadians.
Apple hasn't mentioned how many they have sold. But it's likely much higher than expected, since they were having trouble keeping it in stock in stores. So the Canadians may have to wait for supply to catch up with demand here in the states before the launch goes forward.
For sure Canada and Europe should be well on it's way before the key Christmas buying season.
Does anyone know where we are at with number portability in Canada (for those not on the Rogers network)? Also, what data speed does Rogers use? Is it the same as the current AT&T speed in the USA or the quicker data rate?
Finally, the question about the iPhone that I have is how does the phone itself sound? Is the sound quality good (for both the caller and the person receiving the call), because I use my phone primarily to talk and if it doesn't sound as close to a land line as possibe, I wouldn't buy one (no matter how great the gadgets are).
grover
PS
There is no mention of the iPhone on the Canadian site as of 10:15 am Central Time.
Does anyone know where we are at with number portability in Canada (for those not on the Rogers network)?
Number Portability is up and running in Canada, between all mobile networks, and it does allow you to port a land-line.