iPad Mini to head to Russia this Friday
Apple's small tablet is wending its way toward Russian consumers for a December 14 launch, says one Russian retailer.
The iPad Mini will find itself in Russia starting this Friday, according to a Russian retail site.
Trumpeting the arrival of the 7-inch tablet, retail site Re:Store said it would kick off iPad Mini sales at its Moscow stores on December 14 at 18:00 local time, with other stores to follow suit.
The Wi-Fi only version will debut in Russia this Friday, while the Wi-Fi + Cellular edition won't be available until a later date. Russian buyers will have to ante up 13,490 rubles ($440) for the 16GB version, $571 for the 32GB edition, and $702 for the 64GB model.
Supplies may be tight, as the store cautions that the first batch of iPad Minis will be limited.
The iPhone 5 is also headed to Russia along with 32 other countries this Friday. But Russia's largest mobile carrier won't be offering the new iPhone.
Mobile provider MTS told Bloomberg that it doesn't currently have a contract with Apple. The prior agreement between the two expired in October, leaving MTS to continue to sell its stock of iPhone 4 handsets to subscribers.
Denis Kuskov, head of St. Petersburg-based researcher Telecomdaily, told Bloomberg that Russian carriers face challenges selling popular phones at a profit since local laws prevent them from subsidizing the price of a phone by bundling it with a subscription.
Kuskov also put the onus on Apple for trying to pass advertising costs and other expenses along to the carriers, which means they either have to overprice the phones or sell them at a loss.
(Via The Next Web)
