Bloomberg reports this afternoon that Apple has ceased online sales in Russia due to “extreme” fluctuations in the value of the ruble. Apple has previously attempted to combat the unpredictable swings in the country’s official currency by adjusting the prices of its products, having most recently increased the price of the iPhone 6 by 25% in the country last month.
Apple confirmed that it has halted online sales in Russia as it looks to re-evaluate pricing in the country. “Our online store in Russia is currently unavailable while we review pricing,” Alan Hely, a spokesman for the Cupertino, California-based company, said to Bloomberg today in an e-mailed statement. “We apologize to customers for any inconvenience.”
It has been less than two years since the Apple Online Store arrived in Russia, several years after opening its virtual doors in other countries. Apple also expanded its iTunes Store to Russia in late 2012, making the announcement at a major media event in Moscow, but its future expansion plans into the country could be on hiatus due to Russia’s ongoing financial struggles.
Russia’s currency lost up to 19% today amid concern of a global economic slowdown.
@9to5mac В путинской России, мы должны картофель и водка, а не iPhone. Такова жизнь. Рубль можно купить только аналоговый доступ в Интернет.
— Robert A. Petersen (@Sonikku_a) December 16, 2014
