05/18, 3:04pm
Would continue global R&D expansion
Apple is one of several parties in talks with Russia's Skolkovo technology park about possible research and development facilities there, according to local publication Izvestia. Other interested companies are said to include Google and Facebook; agreements are reportedly already in place for firms such as Microsoft, IBM, General Electric, and Cisco. Skolkovo's organizers are said to be aiming at making the park a Russian equivalent of Silicon Valley.
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03/26, 9:35pm
Samsung Android devices affected
An apparent Google Play malfunction has caused surprise among some Android users who have discovered a Russian e-mail app installed on their Samsung device. The app, titled "МТС Мобильная Почта" and translated to MTS Mobile Mail, has led many users to believe their device has been affected by malware.
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03/06, 10:35am
Conflicts with Apple's own view of device
The Russian Federal Custom Service has chosen to reclassify the iPad as a computer, in theory conferring cheaper prices, reports say. The tablet was previously considered a navigation device, since 3G models include GPS functions. Wi-Fi models don't, although whether the FCS has considered that distinction is unknown.
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02/08, 3:15pm
Could coincide with iPad refresh
A Chinese version of Siri will launch next month, claims DoNews. The website quotes an Apple engineer said to be working on the project, who adds that the technology is already in internal testing, and will moreover be able to process information and navigation requests, something only US Siri users currently enjoy. General language support has so far been restricted to three different English accents, as well as French and German.
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12/16, 11:45am
Brazil, Russia, South Africa among major regions
The iPhone 4S is now available in over 20 more countries, checks show. A list includes Bahrain, Brazil, Chile, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Morocco, Peru, the Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam. The expansion coincides with expansions of the iTunes Store and iTunes Match.
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12/02, 12:15pm
Taiwan, Malaysia, others cited as launch countries
Brazil and Russia have officially entered the ranks of countries getting the iPhone 4S on December 16th. In Brazil, the local division of carrier Claro has put up a marketing page singling out the date. Some local shops have reportedly been selling the 4S since last week, but unofficially and at extremely high prices, approaching $2,000 for a 16GB model.
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10/19, 12:55pm
Russian GPS network just recently restored
The iPhone 4S supports a Russian version of GPS known as GLONASS, an update to Apple's specifications page shows. The country only just launched the last of 24 satellites needed for global GLONASS coverage at the beginning of October. GLONASS first became fully operational in 1995, but a funding crisis crippled the ability to keep working satellites in orbit. Improvement in the Russian economy since the 2000s and interest from ruler Vladimir Putin has allowed GLONASS to come back to life.
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08/05, 10:40am
Carriers worried about countering gray market
The iPhone 5 may go on sale in Russia in November, says local publication RBC Daily. The information is reported to come from unspecified cellphone retailers. Regional cellphone operators, though, are said to be in negotiations with Apple about speeding up deliveries to the country, which like China has often received Apple products several months after their US debut.
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05/25, 3:35pm
Joins other Apple launches in India, Ukraine
The iPad 2 will also launch in Russia and Brazil this coming Friday, reports say. While little information has emerged about Brazilian plans, Russian tablets will reportedly be sold at a variety of stores including MediaMarkt, Beliy Veter Cifrovoi, M.Video, ION, Technosila, Eldorado, z-Store and Re:Store. Re:Store’s PR director, Ludmila Semushina, says the chain expects the iPad 2 to sell "even faster" in Russia versus Germany, Denmark and Norway, where initial stock vanished within three days.
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01/31, 11:45am
Pirates using apps to profit
A series of Soviet-era movies are being sold illegally on iTunes via the App Store, the BBC reports. These include titles like Assa, Gentlemen of Fortune, The Diamond Arm, Kin-dza-dza and Cheburashka. Despite being produced under communism, both Mosfilm and the Joint State Film Collection are asserting various copyrights. Mosfilm is said to be preparing a formal claim to submit to Apple, which insists it will act when it receives a complaint.
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01/17, 11:10pm
Company still working on new e-book reader
Plastic Logic has reportedly secured an additional $150 million in equity financing, in a new investment agreement with the Russian Corporation of Nanotechnologies (Rusnano). Combined with $50 million in equity investment from Oak Investment Partners, the funding will help Plastic Logic establish its second factory in Zelenograd, Russia.
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12/27, 7:40pm
Move ordered by Vladimir Putin
The Russian government is planning to transition its computer infrastructure to take advantage of free and open-source software, such as Linux. The move, which was reportedly signed by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, will affect a wide range of agencies and other bodies that are directly controlled by the federal government.
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11/10, 3:45pm
Country lacks official Apple sales
The iPad is now on sale in Russia, reports and Apple's website confirm. Sales are said to have begun at approximately 7PM local time through three chains: M.Video, Bely Veter and re:Store. Distribution is described as limited. M.Video, for instance, is only selling the tablet in four cities, including Moscow.
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06/24, 10:45am
Russian President tours Silicon valley
While browsing through Silicon Valley this week, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev made sure to spare a little time for Apple CEO Steve Jobs. In the picture below, the President can be seen walking through the offices with Jobs, and appear to be having a casual conversation. This was just one stop for the Russian President, as he also stopped by Twitter offices and tweeted out a picture with his new official English Twitter feed. Aside from that, Medvedev also spent some time with Cisco chief executive John Chamber and San Francisco Mayer Gavin Newsom.
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09/28, 5:25pm
Part of criminal profit-making scheme
Macs are being deliberately targeted by a Russian hacking group, says Sophos security researcher Dmitry Samosseiko. The group is a subset of a larger criminal network known as the Partnerka, which normally turns a profit through spam promoting fake online drug vendors, and malware in the form of "scareware" anti-virus protection. The Partnerka have generally concentrated malware efforts on Windows users, who together represent the largest possible target.
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07/31, 10:00am
Russian iPhone sales low
The iPhone 3G has been unsuccessful in the Russian market, says Fortune. Three major phone carriers began selling the device there six months ago. A deal with Apple required 3.5 million iPhones to be sold over a two- to three-year period; carriers and their retail partners, however, have only been able to sell 250,000 phones since the Russian release date.
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05/21, 3:30pm
Low Russian iPhone sales
Extremely low Russian iPhone sales may threaten the country's three biggest cellphone carriers, several regional reports suggest. MTS, Megafon and Vimpelkom all agreed to carry the iPhone in 2008, with the provision that each would sell a minimum quantity. MTS agreed to sell 1 million phones in three years, while Megafon agreed to the same amount in two years. Vimpelkom made the most dramatic pledge, hoping to sell at least 1.5 million phones in two years.
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10/06, 9:10am
Russian iTunes Store
At least some Russians could finally have normal access to the iTunes Store in 2009, reports say. While Macs, iPods and now iPhones are on sale in the country, Apple's online media storefront has been conspicuously absent, with the exception of the App Store. Music and/or video could be coming soon through an unusual deal with one of Russia's iPhone carriers, writes RBC Daily.
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09/26, 9:10am
Russian iPhone on Oct. 3rd
The iPhone should go on sale in Russia October 3rd, Reuters reports. Nadezhda Senyuk, a PR director for Russia's Tekhnosila retail chain, explains that several retailers should begin selling the iPhone overnight between October 2nd and 3rd. Two other retailers, Eldorado and M.video, have confirmed Senyuk's statements by issuing separate announcements of an October 3rd sell date. Eldorado says it expects total iPhone sales in the country to reach 150,000 for 2008, out of which Eldorado hopes to claim 15,000.
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09/09, 12:40am
Unlocked Russian iPhones
Although pricing information was not mentioned, Russia-based Vimpelcom on Monday announced it would offer the iPhone with no subsidy, since Russian law dictates that locked phone are illegal. Reuters reveals that Vimpelcom CEO Alexander Izosimov confirmed the move at the Reuters Russia Investment Summit, continuing upon an official launch confirmation in late August. An estimated half-million unlocked iPhone handsets already see use by Russians.
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09/05, 3:55pm
MTS iPhones for Russia
Russia's top cellular carrier, Mobile TeleSystems, today announced it has successfully negotiated with Apple and will soon be offering the iPhone, according to the Associated Press. This confirms speculation that Apple would be making deals with all three major Russian carriers, as the company signed deals with Vimpelcom and MegaFon earlier this week.
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09/02, 11:25am
Megafon gets iPhone
Russia's third-largest telecom firm, Megafon, has announced that it has reached an agreement with Apple to carry the iPhone 3G, making it the second carrier in the country to offer the device. The company has not yet committed to any particular release date, but has announced in a statement that the iPhone will be available "later this year."
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09/02, 10:20am
Apple in Piper Alpha ranks
Apple now has one of the best outlooks among companies tracked by Piper Jaffray, say analysts from the research firm. The former corporation is now a member of Piper's Alpha List, due to three separate factors. The first of these is the current Back to School promotion, under which some Mac purchases by students are eligible for a free iPod touch, normally selling for $299. This has driven both Mac and iPod sales, notably, and Piper believes the impact has been underestimated by other researchers.
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08/21, 12:40pm
Russian iPhone 3G from MTS
Russia may be in line for the iPhone 3g via Mobile TeleSystems, according to claimed "market sources." Reuters is reporting that Apple has agreed with MTS on iPhone 3G distribution in Russia, with sales likely beginning in October. Both parties are declining comment, though Apple is also rumored to be close to a deal with the two remaining major carriers in Russia, Megafon and VimpelCom.
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08/18, 3:10pm
Russian iPhone deals near?
Apple is nearing an agreement to sell the iPhone in Russia, says Vedomosti. The regional publication cites inside sources, who claim that two out of the three major cellular carriers in Russia -- Megafon and VimpelCom -- are on the verge of signing a deal to distribute the iPhone. The only stumbling block at present is said to be bulk orders, as Apple may want carriers to accept unusually large quantities of the phone all at once -- between 1 to 1.5 million units each, for a total of 3 to 4.5 million for the whole country.
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08/04, 3:05pm
iPhones in Russia for 2009
Sales of the iPhone in Russia will begin next year, a regional site reports. Vedomosti says it has received the information from Yevgeny Butman, the Moscow director of Apple IMC, which in turn is Apple's authorized distributor for Russia. Although few details are available, carrier Megafona is already claiming to be in negotiations to become a non-exclusive partner, likely competing alongside other Russian phone companies for a share of the iPhone market.
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06/16, 10:20am
Russian iPhone 3G delay
Old pricing schemes are to blame for Russia not being included in iPhone 3G plans, writes the Moscow Times. The newspaper notes that two of the country's major cellular carriers, MegaFon and Mobile TeleSystems, have confirmed that they were previously in talks for iPhone sales, but that Apple's terms were considered unacceptable. It was asking local carriers to buy phones wholesale, says one unidentified company, and additionally demanding 10 percent from each device sold, as well as 10 percent from each subscriber's monthly fee.
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04/29, 11:00am
Russian iPhone market
The iPhone is extremely popular in Russia despite its official absence from the country, according to multiple accounts. Analyst Eldar Murtazin of Mobile Research Group notes that there are approximately 500,000 iPhones operating in Russia, making for the third-highest number in the world after the United States and China; neither China nor Russia have had deals signed between Apple and a regional carrier. Instead, it is said to be common for Russians to travel to the US and buy phones in bulk, and then smuggle them back home for resale.
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04/16, 12:40pm
Russian Wi-Fi register?
Russians may soon be forced to register each and every device they own that has Wi-Fi capabilities, a local news publication reports. Fontanka writes that the policy has been adopted by the government agency responsible for regulating communications and cultural protection, and may only allow people to use a Wi-Fi device so long as they have special permission. The registration of items like smartphones and notebooks could take up to 10 days, while routers may require extra documentation, as well as a proper license. In locations such as Moscow and St. Petersburg, people may need the approval of the FSB, the successors to the KGB.
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04/14, 10:20am
Russian iTunes in April?
The iTunes Store may finally open to Russians later this month, a local publication claims. Billboard ads have been posted in multiple locations across Moscow, proclaiming "iSkoro 21.04.2008;" iSkoro translates to "iSoon," and the style of the ads are said to resemble Apple's iPhone packaging. In recent days similar websites are said to have been posted online as well, each proclaiming "iTunes Store Russia 21.04.2008." Crucially, imacintosh.ru lists its support e-mail as "rusupport@apple.com," and itunes-store.ru lists its contact as "support@apple.ru." The apple.ru domain actually belongs to Apple IMC, Russia's largest distributor of Apple products.
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04/04, 12:35pm
Russia's BlackBerriy mail
Russia will soon get its first-ever official BlackBerry service, according to Reuters. Local carrier Vimpelcom says it has forged a contract with the Russian unit of British American Tobacco, in order to sell corporate versions of the BlackBerry 8700g and provide Research in Motion's proprietary e-mail delivery. The company's push e-mail technology is considered one of the primary reasons to get a BlackBerry, and has made the phones popular with businesses in Europe and North America.
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