MOSCOW, December 14 (RIA Novosti) – US electronics giant Apple starts on Friday official sales of its iPhone 5 and iPad mini models in Russia.
The iPhone 5, which is 18 percent thinner and 20 percent lighter than its immediate predecessor – iPhone 4S, comes to Russia almost three months after it was launched in the United States and about 30 other countries.
Industry sources speculate that the delay was caused by production shortages at Foxconn, Apple’s main manufacturing partner.
One of the key features of iPhone 5 – the support of higher-speed LTE networks – will be useless in Russia as none of the Russian mobile operators has networks compatible with Apple devices.
The new Apple smartphone is expected to sell in Russia at a price range from 35,000 (about $1,140) to 45,000 rubles ($1,330), depending on memory capacity.
The iPhone 5 sold five million units in its first weekend in September.
Apple’s iPad mini tablet made its way to Russia much faster than iPhone 5 – only six weeks after its launch in the United States.
Customers in Russia will initially be able to buy Wi-Fi only models of iPad mini, as ones with cellular capabilities are promised to arrive later.
The prices will range from 14,990 rubles ($488) for the 16 GB model to 22,990 rubles ($748) for the 64 GB one.
Apple may also start selling its Apple TV digital media receiver in Russia in the near future as the company has recently launched its online iTunes Store in the country.