Last week there were several rumors of U.S. Apple stores that refused to sell their goods to people who speak Farsi. Apparently, this rumor means nothing in Iran. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) product vendors in Iran are happy to report that despite U.S. sanctions, the iOS products still sell well.
A recent report from AFP, iPhones and iPads are mainstream throughout the capital of Iran. There was one salesman who stated that he sold 40 iPhones the day before. He also reported that it’s easy for traders to work around the restrictive laws and smuggle the products in Iran through Iraq. He also went as far to say that everyone in Tehran owns an iOS device and that some of the store clerks dress up their shops to look just like Apple stores.
Another hot topic the vendors discussed was the racial profiling at U.S. Apple stores. There was on store in Alpharetta, Georgia where they refused to sell an iPhone to a woman and her uncle simply because they spoke Farsi to each other. Then there was another store in Atlanta that refused to sell a phone to one man and his Farsi-speaking pal.
One representative from the U.S. State Department stated there was no law or policy that would prohibit retail stores of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) from selling their products for people to use stateside and that includes people of Iranian descent or citizenship. All customers who plan to use their Apple products overseas must obtain a license to bring any high-tech goods to Iran.
Apparently, Apple’s influence is stronger than any law that prohibits the sales of their highly-coveted devices. It’s really only a matter of time the laws are changed and Iran can openly sell iOS devices. As for the racial profiling cases, it’s strange that something like that would happen in the United States and perhaps these cases should be taken to court.
