A couple weekends ago, I went to Pacific Mall. It’s huge mall in north Toronto that has predominantly Asian shops. It was busy that weekend and I found out that it’s open 365 days a year - even on statutory holidays. So, on Easter Sunday, I went with my sisters to Pacific Mall because really, I had nothing else to do.

I couldn’t believe some of the “deals” I saw in the mall. You can get a Playstation for $400 and get 30 games for free. Or, you can get 8 movies on DVD for $20. Some of them are blockbusters that are playing in the theatres and aren’t even on DVD yet.  Or, designer handbags that clearly state “For sale in Japan only.”

I stopped in a few electronic stores to marvel at some of the prices on blank CDs, MP3 players and laptops. Some of them are selling the iPhone too. The price? $588 CDN.

In the US, the 8GB iPhone sells for $399 USD. Even with the conversion, if I buy the iPhone in the Las Vegas when I’m there next week, it’ll cost me $402 CDN.

So, while we continue to wait for the iPhone, I’ll see what I can do to speed it up. I mean, because people see me as a podcasting expert, I need to keep on top of these new gadgets, right?  I need to report to you how to refine your podcasts so they can be heard and seen on the iPhone, huh?

Photo courtesy of Algami 

Last year, Apple came out with the iPhone in the United States. I enviously watched my colleagues at the New Media Expo last September using their cool iPhones. I’m in the market for a new cellphone and I want to purchase the iPhone.

Then, Oprah mentions the Flip Camera on her show. And Patsi Krakoff, one half of The Blog Squad, demos how simple it is to use the Flip Camera. So, instead of getting a webcam, I now want to buy this device.

Yet, despite the fact that I want to purchase both the iPhone and the Flip Camera, would you believe that neither of them are available for sale in this country?

Worst yet, both Apple and Pure Digital (the company who manufactures the Flip Camera) are not legally allowed to ship either device internationally. It would appear that Pure Digital is aiming to provide the Flip Camera for sale in Canada for the holiday season later this year. Apple? Who knows. The story of why the iPhone isn’t in Canada changes depending on who is reporting it.

Canada sucks. Or, maybe it’s Apple and Pure Digital that suck. It doesn’t really matter who. What matters is that I’m just one of many who really want to buy these products, yet I’m being penalized based on my country of residence.

And it doesn’t appear that either company is in a hurry to satisfy the demand here in Canada. That’s lousy customer service. Or, brilliant marketing tactics.