Apple joined the list of tech companies that have responded to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In its most significant move yet, the company paused sales of its entire product line up in Russia. The cessation of sales was made via the online store for Russia. The Russian Apple Store has a message for people trying to buy an Apple product.
Apple said in a statement that it had stopped the exports of its products to Russia effective last week. Several of Apple's services, including Apple Pay, have been severely restricted in the country. The Sputnik News app has been removed from all App stores outside of Russia by Apple. Live traffic data and live incidents in Ukraine have been disabled as a precautionary measure.
"We have paused all product sales in Russia. Last week, we stopped all exports into our sales channel in the country. Apple Pay and other services have been limited. RT News and Sputnik News are no longer available for download from the App Store outside Russia." https://t.co/zVh60Pls6N
— John Paczkowski (@JohnPaczkowski) March 1, 2022
Because Apple does not have a brick-and-mortar store in Russia, it's not clear if the move will affect offline sales. Apple's offline sales in Russia are handled by an official Apple partner. With Apple stopping the export of Apple products to Russia, these stores may not be able to replenish their stock.
The decision by Apple to stop product sales in Russia came just a week after the Ukrainian vice prime minister wrote to Tim Cook, asking him to stop device sales in the country. The prime minister wanted the App Store to be blocked for Russians.
Tim Cook issued a statement last week where he said he was deeply concerned about the situation in Ukraine. He said that the company was trying to help the Apple team in Ukraine.
Russia has a large market for Apple. It is not known how the decision will affect Apple's future prospects in Russia.
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