Published in Mobiles

"Arrogant" Apple falls foul of Tsar Putin

by on09 August 2016


Price fixing allegations

Fruity cargo cult Apple's arrogant attitude to its business partners might have earned it a price fixing court case in Tsar Putin's Russia.

The Federal Antimonopoly Service of Russia said that it has opened investigations into the allegations after a claim from a citizen that identical prices had been set for iPhone 6s and 6s Plus models at 16 major retailers.

Resellers had quoted identical prices and maitinaed them for a certain period of time, the anti-monopoly body said. A similar practice has been followed for other iPhone models as well. MTS has been mentioned as one of the resellers in the anti-monopoly service's statement. Another firm Euroset has denied having coordinated prices with other resellers.

"The Anti-Monopoly Service sees signs of price fixing violations in the Russian Federation at Apple iPhone resellers, which resulted in the same prices for these smartphones," the agency said in a statement issued to Reuters.

 

9to5Mac claims that Apple might have hacked off its partners with its autocratic control over its Russian partners. In 2012 MTS accused Apple of running a "dictatorship" over iPhone sales.

"They're more in a dictatorship mode where they say, 'This is what you have to do or you don't get the iPhone'. Being arrogant with your partners in big markets doesn't pay off," said MTS vice president of marketing Vasyl Latsanych.

But associating Apple with antitrust is not a Russian thing. In fact Apple has form for this sort of thing in the US. In 2013 the US District Judge Denise Cote in Manhattan found compelling evidence against Apple for violating federal antitrust laws by conspiring with publishers to eliminate retail price and raise e-book prices. Apple traditionally denies it has done anything wrong sometimes even after the highest court in the land tells them that they have been very very naughty indeed..

9to5Mac claims that Apple might have hacked off its partners with its autocratic control over its Russian partners. In 2012 MTS accused Apple of running a "dictatorship" over iPhone sales.

"They're more in a dictatorship mode where they say, 'This is what you have to do or you don't get the iPhone'. Being arrogant with your partners in big markets doesn't pay off," said MTS vice president of marketing Vasyl Latsanych.

Apple does not traditionally sell many iPhones in Russia.  They are popular among the Russian mafia types who are among the few who can afford them.  Of course they don't buy pink ones.

 

Last modified on 09 August 2016
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