Stories by Austin Blake

Canada has imported 15,603 Chinese-made electric vehicles under a trade deal signed in January, less than one-third of the number allowed this year, according to The Globe and Mail. The agreement between Prime Minister Mark Carney and Chinese President Xi Jinping allows up to 49,000 Chinese-made EVs into Canada in 2026 at a reduced tariff...

Bell and Virgin Plus are already promoting Apple's iPhone 18 Pro ahead of pre-orders opening in Canada, with both carriers pointing customers to September 12. Bell's Apple page currently leads with the iPhone 18 Pro and says pre-orders start September 12 on Canada's fastest 5G+ network. Dedicated iPhone 18 product pages aren't live yet, however,...

We're into the first week of September so let's take a look at what the plans are from Fido, Virgin Plus and Koodo compared to our August roundup. With Apple's hardware week just wrapping up, there still aren't many changes on these flanker brands as expected, and that tracks with what we just saw on...

Apple's iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max pre-orders in Canada are set for Saturday, September 12 at 5am PT / 8am ET, with iPhone Duo following on Friday, October 16 at the same early hour. The Telus homepage is already in launch mode with a "Waiting is so overrated. Meet iPhone 18 Pro"...

Planning to pre-order an iPhone 18 Pro or iPhone 18 Pro Max, or Apple’s new iPhone Duo in Canada? Apple is using two different pre-order dates this year, so the first thing to know is when you actually need to wake up. The iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,749 CAD, the iPhone 18 Pro Max...

Apple is expanding its AppleCare lineup in the United States with a new AppleCare One Family plan, giving families a way to cover multiple Apple devices under one monthly subscription. Canadian customers, however, still don't have access to AppleCare One at all. AppleCare One Family will be available in the U.S. starting September 14 for...

With a blink of an eye, we are well into September (summer, where are you?). Let's take a look at the latest cellphone plans from Rogers, Telus, Bell and Freedom Mobile, right after Apple's hardware week, and see how they compared to our August roundup. Rogers $65/60GB $70/100GB Canada-US for 24 months $85 Unlimited data:...

Toronto-based fintech Wealthsimple is replacing its prepaid Mastercard with a Visa Platinum Prepaid card, bringing faster ATM fee refunds and new spending controls. But there’s a catch for Costco shoppers: the new card won’t work inside Canadian warehouses. The change is rolling out in phases, according to Wealthsimple’s updated support page today. Customers will receive...

Apple is giving millions of iPhone owners another year of satellite connectivity without charging a penny. Deep in the footnotes of today's iPhone 18 Pro announcement, the tech giant confirmed an extension of its free satellite service for existing iPhone 14, iPhone 15, and iPhone 16 users, yet again. The bonus coverage applies to any...

Apple is offering 0% APR financing over 24 months in Canada for the iPhone Duo, iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, giving buyers a way to spread out these new higher prices without adding interest. Financing is available through Affirm, with Apple’s Canadian financing page listing a two-year term at 0% APR for...

Apple’s new AirPods 5 start at $179 CAD, keeping the same entry price as AirPods 4, while a version with a Wireless Charging Case will cost $209 CAD. Both versions are available to pre-order today in Canada, with in-store availability beginning Friday, September 18. Here’s the Canadian pricing, before taxes: AirPods 5: $179 CAD AirPods...

Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 are getting Audio Intelligence, including Live Rewind to transcribe the previous 15 seconds of speech and Siri Recap to summarize conversations. Using the watches’ microphones, Apple silicon and AI models, the features join redesigned health sensors on both models. Double-pressing the Digital Crown activates Live Rewind, letting users...