Prices for Apple products in the US are typically fixed, but in overseas countries, there could be slight fluctuations simply because of the conversion rate which forces Apple to make the occasional adjustment every now and then. However it seems that over in Russia due to the ruble’s extreme fluctuations, Apple has decided to stop online sales in the country.
In a statement issued by Alan Hely, a spokesman for Apple, “Our online store in Russia is currently unavailable while we review pricing. We apologize to customers for any inconvenience.” This is actually a rather drastic move because like we said earlier, Apple typically responds to changes in currency with slight adjustments, but because of the “extreme” nature of the ruble’s valuation, sales had to be suspended.
This doesn’t mean that our friends and readers in Russia can’t buy Apple products, it’s just that you will need to go to a third-party retailer like authorized Apple distributors or a carrier to get your Apple products. As to how much this will impact Apple, well not as much as you think. The IDC has estimated that Apple had sold 1.6 million iPhones in the country in 2013, which is a fraction of the 153.4 million sold worldwide, so safe to say it won’t be a huge loss.
That being said a loss is still a loss, but ultimately this won’t have too huge of a negative impact on Apple. No word on when Apple will be bringing the Russian Apple Store back online, but we’ll be keeping our eyes peeled for more information all the same.
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