Apple Launches Online Store in Russia with Full Product Lineup

Apple today launched its online store in Russia, bringing direct ordering of its full lineup of products to the world's ninth most populous nation. The launch is being promoted with a large banner on the main Apple page for Russian visitors.

apple_online_store_russia
Apple was reported last August to be preparing to begin direct sales in Russia, with the possibility of brick and mortar retail stores following in the future. Apple was reportedly unhappy with its distribution network in the country, particularly with regard to the iPhone, and those distribution issues appear to have spurred Apple to launch its own direct sales there.

Evidence of Apple hiring team members for the Russian online store appeared earlier this year, with those positions based in Cork, Ireland. The company does, however, have a presence in Moscow where it handles iTunes Store, marketing, business sales, carrier relations, and other functions.

Popular Stories

wwdc sans text feature

Apple Rumored to Announce New Product on February 19

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld. Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Apple Logo Zoomed

Tim Cook Teases Plans for Apple's Upcoming 50th Anniversary

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026. "I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
maxresdefault

Apple Shows Off a Key Reason to Upgrade to the iPhone 17

Saturday February 7, 2026 9:26 am PST by
Apple today shared an ad that shows how the upgraded Center Stage front camera on the latest iPhones improves the process of taking a group selfie. "Watch how the new front facing camera on iPhone 17 Pro takes group selfies that automatically expand and rotate as more people come into frame," says Apple. While the ad is focused on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the regular iPhone...
Finder Siri Feature

Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised

Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do. The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up. Upgraded Architecture The next-generation...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April. Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far. iOS 26.3 iPhone to Android Transfer Tool iOS 26.3 makes it easier...

Top Rated Comments

iJayden Avatar
165 months ago
In Soviet Russia, iPhone buys you!
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kot Avatar
165 months ago
I see more Samsung phones then Apple products when sitting in a train, two years ago it was the other way around.
.
Samsung sells commodities, of course there will be more people who can afford only cheap samsung phones. Also massive brainwashing conducted by Samsung influences young and weak minds into buying samsung phones.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kaellar Avatar
165 months ago
Хорошо, что :apple: уже давно перешли в состав Советского Союза, и в ближайшее время будет иметь магазинов :apple:
" good that :apple: already long time ago came to Soviet Union union and soon will to have of stores :apple: "
looks like google.translate isn't as good as you think..

----------

funny story: Apple had no stores in Russia - Russians where whining. Apple now has online store - Russians continue whining.
most of Russians don't understand that they belong to EU region and won't ever get US price tags on Apple products. I guess the reasons are EU prices + EU/5 salaries.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MrNomNoms Avatar
165 months ago
Wishful thinking I'm afraid...

http://www.nu.nl/files/datajournalistiek/graphics/highcharts/examples/telefoonidcfeature2013q1.htm

Apple is drastically loosing ground in Europe, the popularity is going down in a pretty fast way.... The days of line-ups for Apple stores are over. When iPhone 5s will be launched no new line-ups in Amsterdam, I can promise you that. I see more Samsung phones then Apple products when sitting in a train, two years ago it was the other way around.

Only a new Apple watch or a "revolutionary" new product can "save" apple, save in "" because the company is still very very rich but Apple is no longer "cool" unfortunately I may add.

Considering that as a continent that Europe is heading down the crapper I think there are greater considerations in the minds of the average European that throwing cash at the latest gizmo unless it is heavily subsidised or given away with a free bottle of Victory Gin. The growth is in the Asia-Pacific region with the rising middle class that isn't riddled with all the financial problems that are present in the western world such as high personal debt and lack of work ethic thus from what it appears the push by Apple seems to be banking on gaining ground in these emerging and formally neglected markets.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
northy124 Avatar
165 months ago
The only thing I can't understand is why the prices in the official Apple store in Russia is higher than in other official stores in the world?
Within the CIS there are high import duties on all foreign goods in order to sustain a rather poor domestic economy which won't improve until inefficiency is removed from Russia which will never happen in our time. That said the MacBooks are roughly £50 cheaper in Russia than the UK :(

The only Apple products you can get cheaper in Russia are the films which are in many cases half the price and come with English soundtracks :D
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lilo777 Avatar
165 months ago
Yes, I'm sure your train observation means that the iPhone 5S will sell poorly. Apple is really in trouble. (http://qzprod.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/appleearnings-charta.png) Who cares about objective data?
Actually, his train observation is spot on. Here is quote from the just published IDC report (http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUK24197413)on Western European Mobile Phone Market (Q1):

"In terms of operating system, Android continues to dominate the smartphone landscape. In the quarter, Google's OS shipped 21.9 million units and market share increased to 69% in 1Q13 from 55% in last years' first quarter. Apple's iOS continues to lose ground as market share declined to 20% from 25% in 1Q12."

As far as Apple is concerned, not only iPhone market shared declined but so did iPhone sales year over year.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)