Business 'booming' for banned Apple products in Iran
Apple products illegally make their way through "underground trade routes in the Middle East and beyond," according to Reuters. Author Marcus George detailed in a story published on Friday how iPhones and iPads were once "rare and sought-after," but are now "de rigueur in Iran among those who can afford them."
Among the resellers included in the profile is "Iran Apple Center," which runs a website that looks extremely similar to Apple's official store. Citing a person familiar with the matter, George said that Apple has been attempting to shut that particular website down.
The report also features comments from Majid Tavassoli, owner of RadanMac, which is one of 100 estimated stores in Tehran that sell Apple products in spite of the U.S. embargo. Tavassoli characterized his business as "booming."
Apple products are said to be so readily available in Iran that devices can often be found at prices not much higher than they sell for in the U.S.
American companies like Apple are barred by the U.S. government from selling products in Iran without special authorization. The goal is to curb the nation's nuclear program, particularly by hurting Iran's banks and oil industry, which are suspected of assisting in the development of nuclear weapons.
Friday's report isn't the first time this week Apple has been linked to Iran in the media. Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook also made a surprise appearance at Allen & Co's annual media retreat in Sun Valley, Idaho, to sit in on a session entitled "Iran vs. Israel."
28 Comments
They are using Apple trademarks without permission. That is worth a shutdown regardless of the rest of it And now we'll see a rash of articles on this whole Apple Iran business thanks to the alleged racism which comes from one incident where the victim keeps changing her story and about 20 more that cant be proven they were ever in an Apple store much less that things went as they claim (but weren't upset enough to talk about it until after this first case hit the press)
Seems that Apple is the one thing on which the whole world can agree.
[quote name="Tallest Skil" url="/t/151264/business-booming-for-banned-apple-products-in-iran#post_2146206"]Seems that Apple is the one thing on which the whole world can agree.[/quote] Agree or disagree it gets page hits and media attention. That's all it needs to be for many folks
The last paragraph wins the non sequitur of the day award in my book. Meanwhile, I don't see this as all bad. At least it shows the general inhabitants of Iran are not being swayed into believing all things American are evil by the religious nut jobs at the helm.
Launch nuclear bombs with a single tap?
There's an app for that.