Best Buy hints at iPhone Canada

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There's usually a 6 month lag for GSM phones hitting the USA then having Rogers and or Fido release them here. Take for example the recent HP hw69xx series. Lets hope we're still in for a late Q4 release up here.
The main stumbling block as has been pointed out everywhere is the strong likelyhood that Rogers Co is reluctant to offer unlimited data as AT&T has done in the USA.
I'm hoping Apple helps them see the light and let this happen. Even tho' I'd likely use it more in a WiFi hotspot than on any EDGE network :)

A couple of things:

1) Fido, which also belongs to Rogers, is more consumer oriented whereas Rogers is geared to the corporate market ( Blackberry etc...) .

So it wouldn't be a stretch to consider that Rogers gives Fido the iPhone since it would fit well with their target market.

Fido used to offer the Hiptop/Sidekick with a $20 unlimited data package.
Although they no longer offer the Hiptop, the data package is still available to current Hiptop users and for those who pick up a used Hiptop on eBay. The fact that Fido has no real data device and that earlier this year, they did not renew with Danger (the Hiptop provider) could mean that they were waiting for the iPhone.

2) Although the Best Buy Canada page has been pulled, it's still in Google cache at:

http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:X4j2l7xLj7YJ:www.bestbuy.ca/marketing/iphone/EN/default.asp%3Flogon%3D%26langid%3DEN+best+buy+canada+iphone&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&lr=lang_en|lang_fr&client=safari

Rogers bought Fido a couple of years ago. Most of Fido's wireless traffic already has been integrated onto the Rogers network.

Bestbuy Canada and Futureshop are the same company with slightly different business models. Not sure why they would compete against themselves, but they do. They are both headquartered out of the same building in Burnaby BC.

Other than Toronto (who sometimes view themselves as the centre of the world), I don't know where else in Canada there is an Apple Store. Certainly not in Vancouver. Hence, Bestbuy/Futureshop is the major chain carrying Apple....oh, so does London Drugs.

There are also minor grammatical and spelling differences in Canadian and American(US) English so I wouldn't make too big a deal about the "grammatical errors".

The iPhone will be subject to DOC and CRTC approval. Having worked in the telecom industry in Canada, that means it might take a l-o-n-g time before the iPhone hits the market.

Apple is hiring staff in Canada to serve in-store boutiques in existing retailers, likely to include Best buy and FutureShop. I know because I applied and interviewed for such a post a month ago. Apple has existing arrangements and sells products (although minimally) in these stores so it seems logical that they will offer the iPhone here as well, the more venues the better.

@17

Nope. I've never seen bagged milk except in photos. It's...disconcerting to me (and many Americans, I believe).

Oh, and cartons are all but gone here (Texas). It's almost all plastic jugs of some type.

You mean they don't sell milk in bags in the States? Huh.
Please note, we also have cartons, but the plastic jugs are now quite rare.

@Billy K:

See, I'm not sure we agree about what constitutes trolling, and what doesn't. I don't consider an off-topic opinion to automatically be a troll, but posting to tell someone to keep their opinon to themselves *does* seem ... well, at least more inflammatory.

In response to your other inquiries, even though I'm Canadian (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan),I'm not a big fan of hockey, and yes, I understand that you can buy milk in bags up here. I haven't actually noticed the 'milk-bag' aisle in the store, but I'm sure to come across it one of these days.

And just for fun, something on-topic: I think that Gene Cowan's comment (#2) is probably most on the mark; whether or not iPhone comes to Canada, and whether or not Best Buy sells it if it DOES, this is most likely a cheap attempt to get email addresses. If people need news on a release date for this - or any other Apple product - why, they can check sites like TUAW, or Apple.ca.

Comment #13 worries me ... really? A deal with A&B Sound over Futureshop? The same A&B Sound that have been closing up shop, and retreating back to BC? Wow. That's disappointing, if true. Even still, Best Buy / Futureshop could always sell the hardware, and send people to a Rogers store; or an exception could be made. Unfortunately, all we can do is wait and see.

@ 9. Chris Cennon

Peekay21 is trolling. Andrew had a point and a right to call him on it. (And it DID detract from my 'enjoyment' of this post.) But since you seem to think it's OK to just troll about off-topic, how do you feel about hockey? Did you know in Canada they sell milk in bags?

Wait...that's still kinda on-topic...

So, I fed my cat this morning. She is black, but there is a chunk missing from her tail. Black is not really a color, you know...but the ABSENCE of color. So is a black cat really the abcense of a cat? Hmmm...chew on that while you search for other worthless trolls to champion.

Not sure about Canadian Bestbuys/Futureshops. But US Best Buy's are supposed to be getting them in about two weeks.

Best Buy and Apple have a big partnership now, and you'll start to see more and more of the Mini-Apple stores launch.

I know this, because I'm a "Apple Expert" at the Best Buy in Boca Raton, Florida. I think we're the first to get the Mini-Apple Store in South Florida, but i've seen a list of all the launches, and there are a ton planned for the next few months.