Russians were paying thousands of dollars extra for Apple products just hours after the tech giant halted all sales to the country amid its invasion of Ukraine.
Virtually every Apple product available on popular Russian e-commerce site Yandex was selling for a massive premium on Wednesday, as Russians engaged in an apparent mad dash to buy up the devices before they became completely unavailable.
Russians were paying an eye-watering 562,000 rubles — roughly $5,200 — for 14.2-inch Macbook Pro laptops on the site.
In the US, the same device was selling for just $2,000.
Meanwhile, a Muscovite looking to buy a new 64-gigabyte iPad, which sells for $329 in the US, would have to shell out the equivalent of $1,450.
And new 256-gigabye iPhone 13s were selling for $1,500 in rubles — compared to $900 in the US. The iPhone 13 mini, which sells for $700 in the US, was going for $1,100 in Russia.
Apple accessories were also selling at massively inflated prices.
The Apple watch series 7 was selling for $600 in Russia compared to $400 in the US, while a four pack of Apple AirTags that sells for $100 in the US cost $221 in Russia.
Even before Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and Apple’s decision to cut off the country, Russians have had to pay slightly for Apple products than Americans for years due in part to taxes and the ruble’s weak price in comparison to the dollar.
But Apple’s crackdown on Monday — which also included banning some state propaganda apps and disabling Apple Maps features that could be used to track troops and civilians— appears to have made the disparity much larger.
In a note to employees this week, Apple CEO Tim Cook address the situation in Ukraine and told employees they should “never lose sight of the humanity we all share.”
“With each new image of families fleeing their homes and brave citizens fighting for their lives, we see how important it is for people around the world to come together to advance the cause of peace,” Cook said.
While many Russians may be scrambling to grab up Apple devices, at least one Putinite has condemned the company.
In a video shared online Wednesday, an unnamed Russian man and his son smashed an iPad with a hammer.
“Here’s our response to American sanctions!” the man said, according to a translation from a BBC journalist. “We don’t fear you! We’ll live without your nice ‘pretty’ things!”
