“Apple Inc.’s iPhone 5 may start selling in Russia in November, ‘almost immediately’ after sales begin in the U.S., RBC Daily reported, citing handset retailers it didn’t identify,” Ilya Khrennikov reports for Bloomberg.
“Russian cellphone operators are in talks with Apple about speeding up deliveries [to Russia following U.S. launch]… the newspaper said,” Khrennikov reports.
Full article here.
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It is always the story of “it may or it may not”. ;))
However, Apple lost significant sales because it was unable to produce new models fast in the past, and ignored developing markets, which waited for the goods for like up to half year or full year (!!).
The pricing of iPhones in Russia, however, is utterly ridiculous and could not be called anything but a sabotage.
While in the USA iPhone 4 16 GB costs $649, Russian local price has to be $799, if to properly account 5% import fee for this type of product, and 18% VAT.
However, iPhone 4G 16 GB costs astounding $1100.
With such policy, Apple will lose many “insignificant” markets. This pricing is an epic inexcusable failure.
Give me a break!
What do you want Apple to do – give them away in these countries?
Taxes, duties, etc. are not Apple’s problem. Citizens of the affected countries need to let their government know of their displeasure. Whether it will do any good is of course another question.
No, let him make his point. What he’s saying has some validity. If Apple wants to encourage widespread adoption of the iPhone in Russia, Apple Russia will have to get off its fricking big fat ass and get prices there somewhat in line with the U.S. rather than doing the fricking Russian oligarch thing and ripping the pants off consumers there like some fat slug.
And, by the way, Apple does not do any significant advertisement in Russia at all.
I am afraid that incredibly high prices plus no advertisement is a killer (in bad sense for Apple) feature of Apple’s business in many secondary markets. Samsung and HTC are sold dramatically cheaper (obviously, their smartphones should be cheaper, but not dramatically) and they are all around in terms of advertisement.
Apple and its products get marginalized and critiqued among masses as “toys for rich” — while in “normal countries” iPhones are mass products which have proper image of very competitive and attractive device, not as “low-fly oligarch’s ego trip”.
If people listen to the critics and don’t make their own judgements, then it can’t be helped.
At part it can, if Apple will streamline iPhone price policy. They sell iPads for fair money in Russia. But not iPhones.
Apple probably does not need to do any advertising in Russia. My bet is that everyone who wants to “be someone” in Russia already has an iPhone on their wish list. A number of those with deep pockets probably already purchased unlocked iPhones from Europe.
I do not know all of the things that go into pricing Apple products internationally. Certainly VAT comes into play, which I understand is typically around 17% in Europe. But some countries add tariffs and other fees, too, derss. Do you truly understand the factors that are influencing iPhone pricing in Russia? Or are you simply observing a disparity, blaming Apple for an “inexcusable failure,” and then mindlessly ranting about it?
The point is that import fees and VAT should make the price $800 (up from $649 in USA), but in reality it is $1100 (!). It is Apple’s problem, since other smartphones like SGS2 cost much cheaper.
If iPads are selling at reasonable value and iPhones are not, then it would be interesting to know why. I would have a hard time believing that it is simply due to Apple greed or incompetence. Why would prices for some Apple products be reasonable and others not? There has to be a factor that is specifically driving the price of the iPhone.
How to play Russian roulette with your iPhone.
My experience with Apple in Russia is that they are a bunch of incompetent, lazy, dishonest, ignorant bastards. To be fair, this was Moscow in 2006 and 2007 but my dealings with them were incredibly-frustrating.
enuf!! we’ve been talkin’ iPhone 5 rumors for the past couple weeks…when does the iPhone6 launch?!
12/26/2011