Apple stopped new product sales in Russia in March 2022 due to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, but thanks to the transporter, Russian users will still have the opportunity to buy the new Apple iPhone 14 series, and Bookings from Russian users are significantly higher than a year ago.
Russia’s Kommersant newspaper reported that, according to data from retailers, in the first week of the pre-sale of Apple’s iPhone 14 series, the number of pre-orders in Russia was 2.5 times that of a year ago. Distributors say that parallel imports can at least meet the needs of the Russian people, although the cost is not minimal.
However, dealers also mentioned that there may be complications if consumers choose devices that only support eSIM, and this part of the demand in Russia has not been solved. Russia's largest mobile operator, MTS, said that more than 70% of prepayments came from the Pro and Pro Max versions, with the least popular iPhone 14 base 128GB version. According to Citilinka, the iPhone 14 Pro Max was the most popular in the five days after Apple released the new phone. Sales reps noted that the iPhone 14 Pro has 21% more iPhone 13s and four times more iPhone 14 Plus than iPhone 14. Among MegaFon's pre-orders, the number of pre-orders for the new iPhone "is on par with last year's levels."
The report quoted sources as saying that Apple's new products will not be out of stock in Russia. "Under the parallel import model, independent suppliers will be able to get enough new iPhones to meet demand," but he also conceded that the cost of the devices would certainly be higher than in the CIS, EU, Turkey, and other countries. Part of the stockpiled equipment may be diverted to Russia against the backdrop of a sharp drop in demand in other markets due to rising inflation.
The eSIM-only iPhone will not be available in stores, the MTS website says, with the eSIM version of the iPhone making up less than 10 percent of pre-orders, and the rest of the customers continuing to choose a model with a SIM card slot.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov said in an interview at the 2022 Eastern Economic Forum that the new iPhone 14 will be supplied to Russia through a parallel import mechanism, and Russians will have the opportunity to buy New equipment.
In June of this year, the Russian president signed a law making it legal for parallel imports to enter Russia. The Russian government will have the right to decide which intellectual achievements and the use of brand marks are not entitled to exclusive rights, and to protect Russian companies that import goods without the permission of the right holder from possible civil, administrative and criminal liability.
Apple's novelty in Russia is also unsurprising, according to the electronics distributor. "According to the parallel import model, independent suppliers can bring enough new iPhones to meet demand."
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