WASHINGTON, July 18 (RIA Novosti) - California-based Apple’s iPhone may be a titan in the US market and elsewhere around the world, but it is sinking fast in Russia as the country’s main mobile operators fail to renew contracts, the Fincancial Times has reported.
Russian mobile operator Vimpelcom terminated its iPhone negotiations this week as Apple would not weaken the terms of its contract, while Russia’s other top operators MTS and Megafon had already dropped iPhone sales in 2012 and 2009 respectively, according to additional reporting by Reuters.
Since Russia forbids subsidies for handsets, companies complained that the iPhone was too expensive for Russian consumers. Apple has a 4.5 percent share of the Russian smartphone market, the FT reported Wednesday.
It is not all bad news for Apple however. An MTS spokesman told Reuters that the operator still saw potential for the iPad and was actively promoting sales of the popular tablet computer.
