In Russia, official sales of the new iPhone 5s and 5c were launched through leading Russian mobile operators MTS and Beeline and in stores such as Media Markt, M. Video, Svyaznoy, Euroset, ION and Eldorado.
The IPhone 5c costs 24,990 rubles and the 16G version of the iPhone 5s costs 29,990 rubles (approximately $750 and $910, respectively).
“According to data received from the retail sector, total sales of both iPhone models exceeded 15,000 units. On average, sales of the iPhone 5S model are 30% lower than at the start of sales for the previous iPhone 5 model, which was released in December during the pre-Christmas/New Year’s rush. There is limited demand for the budget iPhone 5C model,” Anton Spiridonov, editor in chief of Hi-Tech Mail.Ru, commented on the results.
The 15,000-unit figure comes in addition to sales through the official Apple online store, which was launched in Russia this past summer.
Another 40,000 unofficial or “gray” iPhones – of which perhaps 30,000 older models – have been sold since the start of international sales of the device on September 20, according to Hi-Tech Mail.Ru. These unofficial channels of varying scale comprise individual practices, as well as full-fledged gray business ventures.
In Russia, far from being a mass-market product, the iPhone targets the higher middle and upper income population groups. It has relatively small sales volumes, in spite of recent growth. This is mainly due to the manufacturer’s high pricing strategy in the absence of operator subsidies.
