iPhone 14 will be sold in Russia despite Apple's departure

AppleInsider · September 11, 2022 1:04PM

Russians will still be able to buy the iPhone 14 when it ships despite Apple halting the sale of new products in March, performed via a parallel import scheme.

Like many other companies, Apple pulled out of Russia in March, following Russia's continued invasion of the Ukraine. While services like Apple Pay aren't usable in the territory, Apple also ceased the export of products to sales channels in the country.

However, while Apple isn't going to ship the iPhone 14 to Russia itself, potential customers in the country still have the chance to get hold of the newest smartphones.

Russia has a scheme in place that allows retailers to import products from overseas without needing permission from the trademark owner, A senior government official confirmed that the iPhone 14 would be covered by the program, reports Reuters.

"Why not?" answered Trade and Industry Minister Denis Manturov when asked about iPhone 14 imports. "If consumers want to buy these phones, yes. There will be the opportunity."

The latest models are already on sale in the country, despite no official Apple-sourced imports.

Carrier MTS launched preorders on Thursday morning, with the 128GB iPhone 14 starting from 84,990 roubles ($1,398). However, MTS warned that delivery of orders could take up to 120 days to complete, and it could cancel orders if it has trouble importing them into the country.

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boxcatcher · September 11, 2022 1:55PM

Wait, that country that just had to retreat and abandon a ton of equipment?

rob53 · September 11, 2022 1:56PM

What people need to realize is that the majority of a country's population generally wants to be friendly to other countries. It's the politicians and government along with the fringe that ruin everything. I don't have any issues with Russians, in fact I ran into a Russian student who was doing post grad work in the US. She was nice. Putin is the face of Russia but I really don't think he's the embodiment of Russian citizens.

elijahg · September 11, 2022 2:06PM

rob53 said:

What people need to realize is that the majority of a country's population generally wants to be friendly to other countries. It's the politicians and government along with the fringe that ruin everything. I don't have any issues with Russians, in fact I ran into a Russian student who was doing post grad work in the US. She was nice. Putin is the face of Russia but I really don't think he's the embodiment of Russian citizens.

Pressure on citizens via things like blocking exports to a country is supposed to put pressure on the political classes. Of course if the political classes couldn't give a shit then it doesn't really work as well, until there is an uprising like the Arab Spring. (Though that wasn't due to sanctions, obviously)

alexeyv · September 11, 2022 2:36PM

Don’t believe mass media. There’s no pressure on Russian citizens, so, there can’t be any kind of revolution. Everything is quite different from what they’re telling you.

madbum · September 11, 2022 2:58PM

Russian people are not Putin

also Ukraine Government bans males 18-60 from leaving country and separate Families

Makes you wonder if everything your head in the media is true about how Ukrainians are so eager to fight Russians forever, why they would need thAt rule?🤔

kopfschmerzen · September 11, 2022 3:33PM

JP234 said:

An iPhone is the only means of access to factual information and vital services in totalitarian nations like Russia.

1. How’s that? The only means of access to factual information is a VPN service. I personally see no difference in using VPN on either iPhone or Android (and I have both).

2. Vital services in everyday use are, for example, banking apps. They are gone from both AppStore and Google Play, but on Android I can side load such an app and use it easily. Actually, it’s the first time when I personally find Android’s ‘freedom’ beneficial in practice.

3. There will be no revolution in Russia. Over 50% of the population support the ‘military operation’ in Ukraine. Surprise!

22july2013 · September 11, 2022 4:06PM

If Apple really wanted to withdraw from Russia they would add geofencing to iOS to block its use there.

cpsro · September 11, 2022 4:17PM

Madbum said:

Russian people are not Putin

also Ukraine Government bans males 18-60 from leaving country and separate Families

Makes you wonder if everything your head in the media is true about how Ukrainians are so eager to fight Russians forever, why they would need thAt rule?🤔

That Gorbachev was a failure is not an uncommon opinion of Russians and it's most certainly Putin's opinion.
Nobody is eager to fight forever, but sovereign nations will do what they have to to remain independent. The U.S. has drafted able-bodied men many times. If Ukraine was a member of NATO, we'd for sure have a presence there and Zelenskyy's government probably wouldn't need to conscript older men. These are not normal times and Ukraine will one day (hopefully soon) be a NATO member.

verne arase · September 11, 2022 4:17PM

What you have to realize is that the USSR generations just watch television for all their information, and TV is totally controlled by the government.

Younger Russians use VPNs and get information from the internet at large, and most of them are against the Special Military Operation.

The thing both have in common is they all seem to be totally divorced from what their country is doing; none of them thinks that anything they do make a speck of difference in what Putin and the Russian government is going to do. Russian elections are going on right now, and all opposition candidates have been jailed. Anyone who vocally opposes the war has had to leave the country - even calling the conflict a war can get you a 15 year jail term.

Interviews with remaining Russian citizens seem to show that practically none of them is introspective and thinks about the atrocities being committed by Russian forces - they all seem very privileged and think they should have the freedom to travel to other lands, and even the newly minted Russians say that if they're denied travel visas the offending country is an enemy - so the difference between the USSR generations and post USSR Russians may simply be a new coat of paint. Russians seem very naïve, though that naiveté may simply be them being cagy and avoiding persecution.

There are rural and urban Russians, and all the troops come from the more impoverished rural setting.

Of the urban areas, only Moscow and St. Petersburg really count, and none of grunts are from these areas.

Russia is throwing forces in Ukraine as fast as they can, and they come from prisons and anywhere they can get personnel - a big source of troops is the occupied areas of Ukraine taken by Russian in 2014, and men from those areas are being conscripted at an alarming rate.

Anyway, enough of this off-topic post, except to say that Apple gear is a ton more expensive now in Russia than it was when Apple marketed devices legitimately.

daalseth · September 11, 2022 4:51PM

AlexeyV said:

Don’t believe mass media. There’s no pressure on Russian citizens, so, there can’t be any kind of revolution. Everything is quite different from what they’re telling you.

If that’s the case then they need stronger sanctions. How about what they’ve done with other regimes; any company that does business with Russia is automatically blocked from doing business in or with the US and its allies. Then these “schemes” like outlined here would not work. Ivan Inc could buy iPhones from Acme, but then Acme would find itself blocked from doing business. Very quickly the companies trying to do business with the West through back channels would find them all closed.

The sanctions could be made to bite a LOT harder, and they need to be. Putin is already killing some of the Oligarchs that have come out not supporting the war. There is grumbling from the powers in Russia but taking away their yachts won’t get them to turn on him. Bankrupting them will. Only a revolution from the top will put Putin out of Russia’s misery. A bad loss in Ukraine would get some of the generals to start considering their options as well. Some may already be. We can’t be soft on this. If we can’t stop Putin here, in Ukraine, then we will be using American forces on the ground to stop him in the next country. Then it goes nuclear. We cannot shirk this. We must do whatever it takes to stop the Putin-fascist forces.

By any means necessary.

kopfschmerzen · September 11, 2022 5:04PM

verne arase said:

except to say that Apple gear is a ton more expensive now in Russia than it was when Apple marketed devices legitimately.

Nope. XR was about 45000 rub in April 2021 (last time I checked). Now 11 took its place for 49000. AirPods Pro were 19000, now they are 22000.

If you take inflation into account, it’s actually cheaper.

kopfschmerzen · September 11, 2022 5:17PM

DAalseth said:
If that’s the case then they need stronger sanctions.

Reminds me of an old Soviet joke. A son comes to his drank dad and asks how much does vodka cost.
– 3 rubles a bottle, son
– dad, would you drink less if it would cost 5 rubles?
– no, son
– and if it would cost 10 rubles?
– nope
– and if 25??
– no, son, but you would eat less

Sanctions in their current form won’t work.

DAalseth said:

Putin is already killing some of the Oligarchs that have come out not supporting the war.

Names, please. Who are (were) those some?

waveparticle · September 11, 2022 5:26PM

verne arase said:

What you have to realize is that the USSR generations just watch television for all their information, and TV is totally controlled by the government.

Younger Russians use VPNs and get information from the internet at large, and most of them are against the Special Military Operation.

The thing both have in common is they all seem to be totally divorced from what their country is doing; none of them thinks that anything they do make a speck of difference in what Putin and the Russian government is going to do. Russian elections are going on right now, and all opposition candidates have been jailed. Anyone who vocally opposes the war has had to leave the country - even calling the conflict a war can get you a 15 year jail term.

Interviews with remaining Russian citizens seem to show that practically none of them is introspective and thinks about the atrocities being committed by Russian forces - they all seem very privileged and think they should have the freedom to travel to other lands, and even the newly minted Russians say that if they're denied travel visas the offending country is an enemy - so the difference between the USSR generations and post USSR Russians may simply be a new coat of paint. Russians seem very naïve, though that naiveté may simply be them being cagy and avoiding persecution.

There are rural and urban Russians, and all the troops come from the more impoverished rural setting.

Of the urban areas, only Moscow and St. Petersburg really count, and none of grunts are from these areas.

Russia is throwing forces in Ukraine as fast as they can, and they come from prisons and anywhere they can get personnel - a big source of troops is the occupied areas of Ukraine taken by Russian in 2014, and men from those areas are being conscripted at an alarming rate.

Anyway, enough of this off-topic post, except to say that Apple gear is a ton more expensive now in Russia than it was when Apple marketed devices legitimately.

What about the atrocities in eastern Ukraine since 2014? Over the thousand Ukrainians died. That is far more than the deaths at present? People talking about facts here. This is big laugh. In the West when you talked about facts against media and government you will be labeled as propaganda.

alexeyv · September 11, 2022 5:33PM

Kopfschmerzen said:

verne arase said:

except to say that Apple gear is a ton more expensive now in Russia than it was when Apple marketed devices legitimately.

Nope. XR was about 45000 rub in April 2021 (last time I checked). Now 11 took its place for 49000. AirPods Pro were 19000, now they are 22000.

If you take inflation into account, it’s actually cheaper.

AirPods Pro actually 15000 rub at max now. iPhone 11 - 36000 rub. Every Apple gear is actually cheaper now, then in the January.

None of the “sanctions” had real impact to the average Russian citizen.

edited September 2022

tmay · September 11, 2022 5:46PM

waveparticle said:

verne arase said:

What you have to realize is that the USSR generations just watch television for all their information, and TV is totally controlled by the government.

Younger Russians use VPNs and get information from the internet at large, and most of them are against the Special Military Operation.

The thing both have in common is they all seem to be totally divorced from what their country is doing; none of them thinks that anything they do make a speck of difference in what Putin and the Russian government is going to do. Russian elections are going on right now, and all opposition candidates have been jailed. Anyone who vocally opposes the war has had to leave the country - even calling the conflict a war can get you a 15 year jail term.

Interviews with remaining Russian citizens seem to show that practically none of them is introspective and thinks about the atrocities being committed by Russian forces - they all seem very privileged and think they should have the freedom to travel to other lands, and even the newly minted Russians say that if they're denied travel visas the offending country is an enemy - so the difference between the USSR generations and post USSR Russians may simply be a new coat of paint. Russians seem very naïve, though that naiveté may simply be them being cagy and avoiding persecution.

There are rural and urban Russians, and all the troops come from the more impoverished rural setting.

Of the urban areas, only Moscow and St. Petersburg really count, and none of grunts are from these areas.

Russia is throwing forces in Ukraine as fast as they can, and they come from prisons and anywhere they can get personnel - a big source of troops is the occupied areas of Ukraine taken by Russian in 2014, and men from those areas are being conscripted at an alarming rate.

Anyway, enough of this off-topic post, except to say that Apple gear is a ton more expensive now in Russia than it was when Apple marketed devices legitimately.

What about the atrocities in eastern Ukraine since 2014? Over the thousand Ukrainians died. That is far more than the deaths at present? People talking about facts here. This is big laugh. In the West when you talked about facts against media and government you will be labeled as propaganda.

edited September 2022

lkrupp · September 11, 2022 5:46PM

rob53 said:

What people need to realize is that the majority of a country's population generally wants to be friendly to other countries. It's the politicians and government along with the fringe that ruin everything. I don't have any issues with Russians, in fact I ran into a Russian student who was doing post grad work in the US. She was nice. Putin is the face of Russia but I really don't think he's the embodiment of Russian citizens.

Much like Trump is not the embodiment of most conservative Americans either. Just saying.

alexeyv · September 11, 2022 5:47PM

One more time, stop reading mass media and use your own head.

DAalseth said:
We must do whatever it takes to stop the Putin-fascist forces.

By any means necessary.

Have you ever been there, to say such a words? How many real Ukrainians (especially which don’t speak Ukrainian) do you talk with, to really know what happening there?

tmay · September 11, 2022 6:01PM

I'm trying to keep myself from being permanently banned for my considerable posting against these fascists, but Waveparticle is, based on his postings, an actual Chinese Communist propagandist, and I hope that moderators will ban Wavepartical for the posting above. There is no place here for that.

There isn't anyone who is following the War in Ukraine, that isn't aware of the detailed compilation of all of the human rights violations, war crimes, and outright murder, of Ukrainian civilians, plus the torture and the murder of POW's, by the Russian military. The mass deaths in Bucha and Mariupol, are the known worst examples, and are heavily documented by bellingcat and many other open source groups, and NGO's.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/04/world/europe/bucha-ukraine-bodies.html

edited September 2022

foregoneconclusion · September 11, 2022 6:17PM

AlexeyV said: None of the “sanctions” had real impact to the average Russian citizen.

That's funny...all of the Western military aid to Ukraine has had a definite impact on the average Russian soldier. A lot of people claimed that wasn't working either.

tmay · September 11, 2022 6:48PM

AlexeyV said:

One more time, stop reading mass media and use your own head.

DAalseth said:
We must do whatever it takes to stop the Putin-fascist forces.

By any means necessary.

Have you ever been there, to say such a words? How many real Ukrainians (especially which don’t speak Ukrainian) do you talk with, to really know what happening there?

FFS, it isn't like there isn't a number of sources of news coming out of Ukraine, and even Russia, and sorry to note, but RT is propaganda. The sanctions are having an effect, slowly, and more to the point, blissful Russians aren't even aware of how imperiled Russia is due to the "special military operation". I imagine that Visa restrictions into the EU will get their attention. When the collapse of Russia happens, and it will, it will be slowly, then, all at once.

edited September 2022

iPhone 14 will be sold in Russia despite Apple's departure

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