CATHERINE McLEAN
Globe and Mail Update Last updated on Friday, Apr. 03, 2009 11:52AM EDT
Molson Coors Brewing Co. has pulled the iPhone as a prize in a marketing contest in Quebec after a big snafu about when the device will be available.
The hopes of Canadian iPhone fans were raised briefly yesterday after it was revealed in Molson's contest rules that the cool cellphones from Apple Inc. would be available starting January on Rogers Communications Inc.'s network.
A red-faced Molson quickly backed away from that schedule, saying it made a mistake.
The beer giant has no idea when the iPhone will be launched here, and only wanted to give contest participants a rough idea of when their prizes would be available, according to spokeswoman Marie-Hélène Lagacé. She also corrected an earlier statement that Molson was on the Rogers waiting list for the iPhone, confirming a waiting list doesn't exist.
Molson has replaced the promised iPhone prize with an unnamed digital phone, basically whatever is available at the time the contest ends in January.
Rogers spokeswoman Liz Hamilton wouldn't say whether Rogers will bring the iPhone to Canada. She said Rogers wasn't involved in the contest and that Molson was speculating on a launch date.
The iPhone has attracted lots of buzz even though it has only been available in one market, the United States, for four months. So far, 1.39 million iPhones have been sold, helping U.S. carrier, AT&T Inc., post its highest third-quarter subscriber increase in history.
While Apple has announced plans to launch the iPhone in Europe, Canadians are still waiting. Rogers is viewed as the top candidate since it has a GSM network, the only technology the iPhone uses so far.
There has been debate about the wait, including that a push by Apple for lower wireless data prices may be keeping it from striking a deal with a Canadian company.
When it is eventually launched, John Ruffolo, leader of Deloitte's technology, media and telecommunications practice, believes the iPhone will face a tough competitor here with the homegrown BlackBerry.
"BlackBerry has such a strong brand here," he said.
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