Apple reopens online store in Russia with inflated pricing

[Shawn Knight]

It’s been nearly a week since Apple ceased online sales of its goods in Russia due to extreme fluctuations in the value of the local currency, the ruble. An Apple spokesperson at the time said they closed the store to review pricing, a move that has resulted in the reopening of the store today.

Pricing in the store, as you might expect, has been seriously inflated. As Computer World notes, a 16GB iPhone 6 could be had for 39,900 rubles last week before the store shut down. Today, the same iPhone now commands 53,990 rubles which is equivalent to $988 USD.

Apple doesn’t have any official retail stores in Russia although many local resellers and wireless providers carry their gear. Of them, the cheapest for the aforementioned iPhone appears to be 48,990 rubles at the Svyaznoy electronics chain. Doing the math, that’s roughly nine percent cheaper than Apple’s revised price.

To put it all into context, a 16GB iPhone 6 without a contract sells for $649 in the US.

The good news for Apple is that Russia isn’t exactly one of their top markets. According to research firm IDC, only 1.6 million iPhones were sold in the region last year which accounts for just one percent of Apple’s total iPhone sales in 2013.

For those not up to speed, the Russian ruble tanked last week. At one point, it was trading at nearly 80 rubles to the dollar. As of writing, that’s improved to 54.59 rubles to the dollar.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/59235-apple-reopens-online-store-russia-inflated-pricing.html

 

[Guest]

Inflated pricing to an inflated priced phone. That's some Inception crap right there.

 

[yRaz]

Inflated pricing to an inflated priced phone. That's some Inception crap right there.

incepflation

 

[JohnCB]

Inflated pricing to an inflated priced phone. That's some Inception crap right there.

Caused by Putin's inflated ego

 

[Guest]

Well its Russia baby! when you sitting on oil and gas, you can afford to inflate everything, from rubber inflatable tanks and airplanes to whole economy

 

[Mister_K]

Coz Russian consumers can afford it, lel

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

As if their prices weren't highly over inflated enough to begin with. You can always rely on good ol' Apple to stay true to form.

 

[itsmebryan]

Well its Russia baby! when you sitting on oil and gas, you can afford to inflate everything, from rubber inflatable tanks and airplanes to whole economy

You must not what the markets oil has taken a huge drop. That is why gas dropped from $4 a gallon at the beginning of the year to $2.30 per gallon here in Los Angeles. I think over 50% of Russia's revenue is from gas and oil sales. Russia is really hurting now.