Sunday, we reported that Apple would be diverting shipment of the iPhone 3G from Canada to Europe as a slap on the wrist to Rogers Communications over their ridiculous rate plans. Now, that slap has become a punch in the gut. Apple Insider is reporting that Canadian Apple Stores will not be selling or activating or marketing or supporting or apparently even acknowledging the iPhone’s very existence. Rogers will still be able to sell the iPhone and gouge its customers, but they’ll get no marketing help from Apple, Inc.

Apple is giving Rogers the corporate equivalent of the silent treatment.

Juicy details after the break.

When Apple announced the iPhone 3G would be available in Canada, Apple lovers in America’s top hat the country were ecstatic at the idea of the iPhone being in their hands in a little over a month. However, the phone is being vended exclusively by the notorious customer-abusing company, Rogers Wireless. As it turns out, more »

The iPhone is finally making its way to Canada on July 11, 2008 and Canadians aren’t as happy about it as they should be due to voice and data rates from one of the only two carriers that will be offering the new iPhone 3G in Canada, Rogers Communications. On Friday, Rogers announced the details of its voice and data plans for the upcoming iPhone 3G, which struck some would-be customers as unreasonably high and unnecessarily restrictive, especially when compared with those in other countries in which the iPhone 3G will be offered, such as the U.S. and the U.K. Thousands of angry Canadians (10,000 and counting when this was written) have made their feelings about Rogers’ ridiculous rates known on various websites and blogs.

However, the largest protest that has come into effect is a petition (whose original name was unprintable, but has now been renamed to Ruined iPhone). Its stated goal was to gather 10,000 names in the form of a petition by July 11th, which was accompanied by to an open letter to Steve Jobs. By Sunday evening, the petition had already gathered more than 13,000 names, more than its initial goal. The open letter can be found at ruinediphone.com, and is reprinted after the break.

Industry insides say Rogers Communications Inc. is likely to unveil an unlimited data plan for a flat rate when the iPhone finally arrives in Canada. What’s more interesting is what analysts believe this will do to the Canadian wireless data market. Itbusness.ca says: A flat-rate, unlimited data plan is likely to be offered when the more »