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this post was submitted on 04 Jul 2024
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Wait apple is still operating in Russia? Weren’t we sanctioning them or something?
TL;DR: they stopped selling hardware in Russia, but people still find a way to import it.
It also looks like they are still maintaining Russia’s region in the AppStore.
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/02/21/two-years-after-apple-quit-russia-over-ukraine-vision-pros-are-for-sale-in-moscow.html
I can understand smuggled hardware, but it’s not like Russians can buy their localized App Store in India.. it would be much more helpful if they weren’t running it there, as the smuggled iPhones would be just bricks
Thing is, if they kill the App Store entirely, they also fuck over Russians that already have iPhones and are fleeing the country, and or dissenting the government.
Looks like they’re trying to leave as much of the App Store as available as possible. That said, at some point the government censorship will become so bad that they might need to pull the plug entirely.
And that said, if they allowed proper side loading, this wouldn’t be an issue. They could just peace out entirely.
Maybe if Apple was giving it away or donating the money from the sales, but as it is they are just profiting off it.
I'm not an Apple person but IIRC their appstore is functional for already purchased and free apps. New purchases, as well as import of devices, are done via various grey schemes like via currencies and borders of third countries. I can't recall news about someone getting individually banned for that, but some opportunistic foreign banks closed their doors to rubles fearing sanctions. Official stores are closed, but I guess their repair\replace services are still operated but without a connection to the Apple themselves. There were also services to install non-Appstore banking clients and government's services via some loopholes. At the same time, except for the app in the OP, some apps can choose not to be availiable in a select country on their own.
I guess Apple did the formal exit and then stopped to care. It's not operating in Russia per se, but it operates in other countries with entities barely passing as legal consumers and resellers. They still get their profits as usual, and these interlayer smugglers make big bucks enough to be advertised in every second russian youtube video. Is there then a mechanism to make Apple filter them out?
A bit related news piece: russian gamers cried over Sony limiting Helldivers 2 to select countries, while other russian gamers dunked on them for they have PSN linked to the right country.
The great mighty Apple does not have to follow sanctions. If it hiccups, the US economy does too. Can't have that!
Apologise for the crude description, but sanctions are like masturbation. They make the person doing it feel a little better. That's about it.