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January 24, 2008

apple

Apple expands to Russian Federation

Posted Jan. 24, ’08, 11:00 AM PT by Cyrus Farivar
Category | Apple

Russia MapAn English-language Russian newspaper, The Moscow Times, reports that Apple is finally setting up shop in Putin’s backyard:

But Apple, which set up a representative office here only last year, has localized the user interface of most of the devices to put them within reach of many Russian consumers.

The firm is touting its newly upgraded iPod Touch as a must-have, top-notch product to make headway into the country’s highly lucrative computer and music-player market.

It has also localized the music-playing, web-surfing device to make it accessible to more Russian users. The model demonstrated on Wednesday includes Google Maps for Russia, which makes getting directions around Moscow a snap.

Apple’s newly launched iTunes Movie Rentals, which allows iPod owners to buy and download movies directly from the Internet, is currently only available in the United States.

Russian consumers would need to shell out 12,590 rubles ($510) for an 8-gigabyte iPod Touch and 17,670 rubles ($710) for a 16-gigabyte model. The device is expected to ship Wednesday.


2 Comments

Bruce McAlevy said:

Russia has just announced a goal that every student in the country will have access to a linux computer by the end of 2008. When Steve Jobs kept features of Leopard secret, it was not to keep them from Microsoft, it was to keep them from the Linux programmers. More than 90% of the features of leopard are now available to linux users. For free, I might add. And will run on a $400 computer.

After the economic shakeout that is coming in the next two years, not many russian consumers are going to be interested in a $500 ipod, unless the dollar has devalued to about 10% of what it is now, which is a definite possibility.

Once the Apple DRM goes, Chinese clones will flood the market. The Chinese now have the availability to clone anything in less than 90 days. There is a chinese phone available with more features than the iPhone, cheaper and unlocked. Its availability was why Apple dropped the price of the iPhone so quickly. It is also why Apple secretly supports unlocking iPhones.

Apple disabled iPod access by linux programs with the latest iPods. Google will not do that with their phone OS. A last desperate attempt for Apple to control something bigger than it is.

In two years, Apple will be like BMW or Mercedes outside the US. India has a middle class larger than the entire US population. They will not be using apple products.

January 24, 2008 1:31 PM
Andrei Kharlanov said:

Actually, there are more then 100 stores in Moscow we you can buy Apple products. We are waiting for iTunes Store now :)

January 24, 2008 5:58 PM

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