Warehouse defies

The Warehouse has again bypassed Apple and will be selling 170 parallel imported new ipads at selected stores this weekend. The red shed retailer stole Apple’s thunder and sold 100 of the cheapest new ipads through its website two days ahead of its official debut in New Zealand on March 23. Spokeswoman Jenni Ryan said it would have 170 new ipads ‘‘at selected large stores’’ from $729 each. She did not specify which stores would have the new ipad or which model were available. China’s Commerce Ministry said Australia’s ban on Chinese technology giant Huawei from bidding to help build a nationwide high-speed internet network was ‘‘unjust.’’ Australian media have reported that the decision was prompted by Australian intelligence officials who cited hacking attacks traced to China, but the government has not made public its reasons. China’s Commerce Ministry spokesman Shen Danyang said late Friday that Australia should not exclude Huawei from participating in a fair competition in the name of security. Americans took out more loans to buy cars and attend school in February, but used their credit cards less frequently for the second straight month. The Federal Reserve said consumers increased borrowing by US$8.7 billion, the sixth straight monthly increase. But borrowing on credit cards fell by US$2 billion after a US$3B decline in January. A rise in borrowing could suggest that consumers are feeling confident about the economy. However, few are comfortable enough to step up credit card use, analysts said.