Apple Launches iTunes & Online Apple Stores in New Zealand

AUCKLAND, New Zealand—6 December, 2006—Apple® today launched the iTunes® Store (www.apple.com/nz/itunes) in New Zealand, giving New Zealanders access to outstanding local music and the same innovative features, breakthrough pricing and seamless integration with iPod® that have made iTunes the most popular music jukebox and online music store in the world. Apple today also opened the online Apple Store® New Zealand (www.apple.co.nz/store), where customers can quickly and conveniently purchase Apple’s complete lineup of innovative products, including the wildly popular iPod digital music player, the critically acclaimed Intel based Mac® desktop and notebook computers, the iLife® ‘06 suite of digital lifestyle applications, a vast assortment of iPod and Mac accessories from Apple and third parties and Mac OS® X, the world’s most advanced operating system.

“We’re thrilled to bring the iTunes Store and the online Apple Store to our customers in New Zealand just in time for the holidays,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of iTunes. “With over two million songs, the iTunes Store features the largest catalogue of local and international music in New Zealand, and with the new online Apple Store, it’s easier than ever to shop for everything from a personally engraved iPod to a customized Mac.”

With a catalogue of over two million songs, the iTunes Store features the most music of any digital music store in New Zealand with songs priced at just NZ$1.79, music videos at NZ$3.59 and most albums at NZ$17.99. Exclusive music featured on iTunes includes tracks from New Zealand artists Fat Freddy’s Drop, Brooke Fraser, Tim Finn, The Datsuns and Bic Runga as well as extensive catalogues from New Zealand greats including Shihad, Crowded House, The Black Seeds, Breaks Co-Op, Elemeno P and Dei Hamo. International exclusives on iTunes include albums from The Doors, Faithless, Incubus, Foo Fighters, George Michael and more. The iTunes Store features iTunes Originals from international stars Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ben Harper, Black Eyed Peas and Jack Johnson. The iTunes podcast directory currently features over 65,000 podcasts, including featured New Zealand podcasts from TVNZ, The Voice Booth and Radio NZ.

At the online Apple Store New Zealand, customers can browse and purchase Apple hardware, software, accessories and a large selection of third party products with just a few clicks of a mouse. Customers can custom engrave any iPod through the online Apple Store, and can easily custom configure their Mac to suit their individual needs. With iPod engraving, a new holiday gift guide and the convenience of shopping from home or the office, the online Apple Store is the ideal shopping destination this holiday season. The online Apple Store offers special education pricing to teachers and university and college students.

Additionally, Apple announced that the iPod nano (PRODUCT) RED Special Edition is now available in New Zealand, only at the new online Apple Store. The iPod nano (PRODUCT) RED, available in 4GB and 8GB models, comes in a beautiful red aluminum enclosure and features up to 24 hours of battery life, Apple’s innovative Click Wheel and an incredibly thin and light design. Apple will contribute a portion of proceeds from the sale of each iPod nano (PRODUCT) RED to the Global Fund to help fight HIV/AIDS in Africa.

Pricing & Availability
iTunes 7 for Mac and Windows includes the iTunes Store and is available as a free download immediately from www.itunes.com. Purchase and download of content from the iTunes Store for Mac or Windows requires a valid credit card with a billing address in the country of purchase. Games are available for download and play on the fifth generation iPod.

The iPod nano (PRODUCT) RED Special Edition is available today in a 4GB model for NZ$349 including GST and an 8GB model for NZ$449 including GST through the online Apple Store (www.apple.co.nz). All iPod nano models include redesigned earbud headphones providing superior comfort, fit and sound quality, and a USB 2.0 cable. The second generation iPod nano features up to 24 hours of battery life and completely skip-free playback.*

iPod nano requires a Mac with a USB 2.0 port and Mac OS X version 10.3.9 or later and iTunes 7.0.2 or later; or a Windows PC with a USB 2.0 port and Windows 2000 (Service Pack 4), Windows XP Home or Professional (Service Pack 2) and iTunes 7.0.2 or later. Internet access is required and a broadband connection is recommended.

* Battery life and number of charge cycles vary by use and settings. See www.apple.com/batteries for more information. Music capacity is based on four minutes per song and 128-Kbps AAC encoding; actual capacity varies by content. Photo capacity is based on iPod-viewable photos transferred from iTunes.