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colincampbell

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Sep 25, 2007
26
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Attention friends to the Great White North: the Apple iPhone could be on its way to Canada sooner than expected, and rumor has it you might be carrying around the coveted cellie by the middle of this month. But wait just a minute here. Put on your ******** detectors, readers.

The leak is said to come from an insider at Canadian fashion specialty department store Holt Renfrew, and neither that store, Rogers (the Canadian cellphone provider that's rumored to be the one to carry the iPhone), or Apple are saying anything about the release of the supposed 8GB GSM iPhone, which will reportedly sell for $799. What a rip—double the price of the iPhone in the U.S.! Hm. Something's fishy, because Holt Renfrew is not known for selling electronics of any kind.

Link: http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/probably-bs/iphone-headed-for-canada-this-month-307091.php

Enjoy. :)

Don't shoot the messenger, just posting what I read. :eek:
 
lol at the rumor...
Would you like an iPhone with that $300 scarf?

If they priced the iPhone at 799 and Ted Rogers allowed it, he would be lynched by the CRTC let alone 30 million canadians. At least with the iPods you're only mildly getting ripped.

Wait maybe $799 was what your monthly wireless charges would be with iPhone? seriously, if Rogers wants the iPhone, they will have to lower data rates. No consumer is going to pay that much.

My Touch can do everything an iPhone can (except EDGE and camera / bluetooth) without a big rogers anchor.
 
Yes, and since the Canadian dollar is higher than the US dollar, it would be insane to pay this much for the iphone in Canada. But that is just the retail price. With a 3 yr contract might be cheaper. Maybe $299? Who knows...
 
iPhone at Holt Renfrew january 08? $799

According to wild rumors (and we do mean wild), Canadian "luxury retailer" Holt Renfrew -- the Barney's of the Great White North -- will begin carrying a Canuck version of the beloved iPhone in about two weeks, for the deliciously low price of $799. The rumor apparently emanates from an "insider source" at the company, though the store's reps won't confirm the news. If you believe the leaker, the retailer will carry an 8GB, GSM version of the phone (obviously, as no other version exists), and it will arrive on store shelves in mid-October. Sure, this sounds enticing, but why would a department store which specializes in high-end goods be the first the carry the iPhone, and where is the announcement (or even rumblings of an announcement) from a carrier in Canada? All intriguing questions which we'll be sussing out answers to... by force. Just kidding.


UPDATE

One of our readers claims to have been contacted by Holt Renfrew in regards to the iPhone rumors, and here is what they supposedly had to say: "Thank you for your inquiry of the Apple I Phone. I regret that the I Phone, originally planned for our store this fall will no longer be available at Holt Renfrew. In fact, due to other obstacles, the phone will not be here any earlier than January 2008." Of course, we're not buying that Holt Refrew's rep doesn't know how to spell "I Phone," but that's just us.
via engadget

http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/04/iphone-coming-to-canadian-retailer-holt-renfrew/

what is ur opinion?
 
Someone already posted this, though I think the update is definitely a lie. I don't like the "I Phone" spelling nor the bad grammar.
 
Holt Renfrew...no.

$799, when the Canadian dollar is currently at par, or even worth more than the USD... no.

If and when Rogers and Apple ever agree about a package, Rogers has hundreds, if not thousands, of retail outlets the iPhone can be sold at.

This isn't going to happen.

1) $799 Canadian when the phone is $399 USD isn't going to happen.

2) Holt Renfrew isn't going to happen.

3) In reference to one of the comments above, Apple hasn't allowed subsidizes yet, so I doubt they will in Canada.
 
iPhone in Canada in 2 Weeks?



Digital Journal claims that they have inside information that luxury retailer Holt Renfrew will carry the iPhone by mid-October throughout Canada.
The Holt Renfrew source says the 8GB phone will be a GSM phone, retailing across the country for $799. Anyone familiar with the GSM market in Canada knows that Rogers is the leading GSM provider in the country.

Article Link
 
this has to be fake? reasons why its fake!

A) why wouldnt rogers sell it...theres like 12 holt vs like thousands? (or close to a thousand) rogers in canada..

b) why would it be 799? when its 399 american? makes no sense
 
I call fake. $799?? You have to be kidding me. Unless for some reason they're going to sell it unlocked - hence the random store and unbelievable price hike. I guess that could be Apple's way of selling unlocked phones, release it in a small market (that's very close to the States) unlocked at a sky high price so that it doesn't tread on the toes of AT&T and so that they make loads of money off of all the US people who are willing to spend double to get it unofficially unlocked (there would be thousands of people willing to spend this money).
 
Ok

i just got off the Phone with holt from the one in yorkdale mall!

and they said its going to be $499 at rogers ($799 with a expensive case at holt) for rogers canada...kinda unlocked the man said(but only for rogers) and there will be no special iPhone plans at all he said...basically you can just use it on rogers thats it...nothing special...and he said end of october

he told me this on the phone...so i guess it could be real
 
Exclusive: Holt Renfrew Insider Says iPhone Coming to Canada in Two Weeks

Gawd! This is probably the WORST iPhone in Canada rumour I have heard to date.
 
i just got off the Phone with holt from the one in yorkdale mall!

and they said its going to be $499 at rogers ($799 with a expensive case at holt) for rogers canada...kinda unlocked the man said(but only for rogers) and there will be no special iPhone plans at all he said...basically you can just use it on rogers thats it...nothing special...and he said end of october

he told me this on the phone...so i guess it could be real

Really?

Maybe they're just sick and tired of getting calls from people who read MR/Gizmodo/etc. :p

"Would you like an iPhone with that $300 iPhone case?"
 
I don't believe it. For starters, the iPhone's launch in Canada will be every bit as big as its launch in the states. And it sure as hell won't be Holt Renfrew, or The Bay, or LaSenza that premieres it. And when it finally arrives, it better not be anything close to $799. With our loonie trading equal to (or better than) the US dollar, it had better sell for pretty close to $399 Canadian. I for one am sick and tired of being ripped-off by retailers and blaming it on the dollar. Sure, when a loonie was worth $0.63 nobody noticed a few percentage points here and there, and I'm sure retailers made lots of hidden profits because of it. But for retailers to still discount our dollar vs the US dollar to continue to sneak a few extra profits points is criminal in my mind, and hopefully the market will drive them quickly out of business.
 
The $799 price point is possibly the biggest joke I've ever heard.

a) Our dollar is worth more, the should be nearly equal
b) I could have bought one for $400 and have it unlocked the other day
c) Nobody would buy it, and it would bring down Apple's name

Apple better get up here soon, there's already loads of people with unlocked iPhone's here, they might be too late though.
 
This has to be the least convincing rumour since the Powerbook G5.

Holt Renfrew is a fashion store. Like hell they would stock the iPhone.

"Anyone familiar with the GSM market in Canada knows that Rogers is the leading GSM provider in the country."

Well, I guess some things are relative.

I do not expect an iPhone in Canada in the next five years. Or possibly ten. That's how far behind our wireless networks are, and there is no competition at all - only the illusion of competition to keep people spending money. If the iPhone were offered here, every web-aware application would be grayed out, and when you tried to open them you'd get a message saying, "Screw you, Canuck!"

This is a very, very bad joke.
 
What's up with this. This is absolutely ridiculous. Who'd pay twice the price for the iPhone? Especially since the value of the Canadian Dollar is now higher than the American Dollar.

$800 for a phone! Come on, I think the most anyone would pay is $650. Are there even any phones that cost $650ish. Maybe a Windows Mobile smartphone. I dunno.
 
799$? Are they nuts?

I would get an iPhone w/ Rogers only if I didn't have to get a data plan...no way I'm paying like 100$ a month for that. Wifi all the way...do you have to even get it with a data plan?
 
Holy cow you guys aren't reading this thread. According to this phonecall, which is just referenced up the page,
its going to be $499 at rogers ($799 with a expensive case at holt)
If that's true, then you won't have to pay $799 if you don't want to -- only if you want some fancy case.
 
About those plans, just the other day Rogers came out with 1GB for $65 data plans. In theory they're only for PC Cards, but so far they've been giving them to phones too with no problems.

Nowhere near unlimited for $20, but still much less of a joke.
 
This rumor doesn't even deserve to be discussed. If it was true it would have surfaced in may other places than holt, lol.
 
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