Europe Articles on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog

'Chip and PIN' card reader for iOS selling in European Apple Stores

by Michael Grothaus (May 29th, 2013)

Merchants here in Europe will soon be able to walk into an Apple store and buy a Bluetooth "chip and PIN" reader that talks to the iPhone right off the shelf. Until now, merchants here didn't have a lot of immediate access to tech that allows them to take payments via their iPhones and iPads. ...

Angry Birds soda release makes for huge sales jump

by Mike Schramm (May 29th, 2013)

Yes indeed: Angry Birds soda. A Nordic beverage company named Olvi got the rights from Rovio to make some Angry Birds-branded sugar water, and apparently it's a huge hit for them, raising the company's sales by 85 percent. Exports were especially huge, going from 3 percent of Olvi's market to a ...

EU questioning carriers over Apple's iPhone contract demands

by Michael Grothaus (May 28th, 2013)

Regulators at the EU's European Commission have sent out a nine-page questionnaire to smartphone carriers questioning Apple's tactics regarding iPhone contracts between the carriers and the company, according to the Financial Times. The questionnaire comes two months after European regulators ...

Popular European discount airline easyJet adds Passbook support

by Michael Grothaus (Apr 30th, 2013)

Outside the United States, Passbook-supported apps are a rarity. That's why it's especially exciting that uber-popular European discount airline easyJet has just added Passbook support to their iPhone app. The move comes days after easyJet announced that it is eliminating check-in desks at ...

Transport for London launches prize to design accessible travel app

by Michael Grothaus (Mar 27th, 2013)

App developers in the United Kingdom take note: Transport for London has launched a prize for developers who are able to create London public transport apps that cater to users with physical or communication barriers. In a recent blog posting, the TFL recognized that for years, mobile ...

European investigators to look at Apple carrier deals for possible antitrust violations

by Kelly Hodgkins (Mar 22nd, 2013)

Apple is under fire in Europe for possible anti-competitive contracts with wireless carriers that allegedly stifle competition, said a report by The New York Times. No formal antitrust complaint has been filed, but the European Commission has supposedly asked carriers to provide information ...

New Apple Stores set to open in UK and Germany

by Mike Schramm (Mar 18th, 2013)

We heard earlier this year that Apple was planning to expand its retail business "disproportionately outside the US," and it looks like that plan is being put into motion starting now. In addition to a new Apple Store opening up this Thursday in Leeds, UK, the company has posted job listings ...

iTunes in the Cloud for movies hits 11 new European countries

by Michael Grothaus (Feb 27th, 2013)

Apple has rolled out movie support for iTunes in the Cloud for 11 new European markets, notes TNW. Customers in Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway and Sweden can now download past and future movie purchases from iCloud whenever they ...

Mac Pro no longer available from European Apple online stores

by Michael Grothaus (Feb 19th, 2013)

Time is quickly running out for European shoppers who hope to grab a Mac Pro from Apple. Back in January Apple announced that it would stop selling the Mac Pro on March 1st in Europe due to new regulations regarding the unit's power supply. It looks like Apple has now started the withdrawal of ...

iMac ship times lengthen in Europe

by Kelly Hodgkins (Feb 4th, 2013)

Ship times for Apple's latest generation iMac slipped to four to six weeks for the 27-inch model and three to four weeks for the 21.5-inch model in some European Apple Stores. As noted by MacGeneration, these changes first appeared in France on Monday. A quick check of other European stores ...

European customers lose the Mac Pro on March 1, maybe earlier

by Michael Rose (Jan 31st, 2013)

Product safety regulations, how do they work? European regulators are requiring adherence to UL's 60950-1 second edition standards, which originally came into effect in late 2010. The rules cover power supply design and other technical specifications. As reported in Macworld, the Mac Pro's ...

Apple's warranty practices questioned in Belgium

by Kelly Hodgkins (Jan 15th, 2013)

Belgian consumer watchdog agency, Test-Aankoop/Test-Achats, is not happy with the AppleCare protection plans offered to customers who purchase Apple hardware. The group has filed a complaint that claims Apple doesn't properly explain consumer rights when it markets and sells these warranties to ...

Italian authorities fine Apple again over warranties

by Mike Wehner (Dec 21st, 2012)

By now, Apple should be pretty familiar with Italy's standards regarding product warranties, but it seems that despite already being fined roughly $1.2 million, the company's troubles are not over. AppleInsider reports that after being hit with the fine, Apple continued to push AppleCare's ...

EU set to charge Samsung in Apple antitrust case

by Mike Wehner (Dec 20th, 2012)

The legal battle between Apple and Samsung may be winding down, but the Korean electronics maker's courtroom troubles are far from over. As Reuters reports, Joaquin Almunia, the European Commission's Vice President of Competition Policy, has revealed that the organization will soon charge Samsung ...

App Store prices increase in Europe

by Kelly Hodgkins (Oct 26th, 2012)

Apple caused a small stir yesterday when it raised the prices of apps in the European iTunes App Store. Customers were taken by surprise when the App Store went down and returned an hour later with higher prices. The minimum price of an app rose from €0.79 (US$1.00) to €0.89 ...