The United States and Iran finally signed an official nuke agreement today after 20 months of negotiations, and according to a new report, Apple is already looking to move in.
Apple has been in touch with potential Iranian distributors, reports the Wall Street Journal, citing “people familiar with the matter.” General Electric has also been looking to break into Iran, the site claims.
The Middle East is one of the few corners of the world Apple products have yet to penetrate, but improved relations between Iran and the U.S. could quickly change that. Government data shows Iran’s 80 million residents already have an affinity for Western brands. Only 11 million Iranians have mobile Internet access, but broadband penetration is at 53 percent across the population.
Some U.S. companies have already started doing business in Iran. Boeing started selling aircraft manuals and charts to the country last year, and Coca-Cola has been selling its sodas for nearly two decades in Iran, under a license from the Office of Foreign Assets Control.
It’s still unclear when the doors of Iran will be opened to Apple and others. American and European business can only move in after Iran implements the deal, which might mean sanctions won’t be lifted until early next year. There’s also a “snapback” provision in case Iran doesn’t live up to its part of the deal, but once sanctions are finally lifted Iran could become a huge new market.
Buster Hein is a freelance writer who lives in Phoenix, Arizona. Twitter: @bst3r.
5 responses to “Iran could be big new market for Apple products”
They do and they won’t.
It’s only a matter of time
“Iran could be big new market for Apple products”
Too bad that photo looks like Tim Cook with Asian shoppers (or photo models).
Iran is already a huge market for Apple!
The only thing Apple can do is to make it official.
There is a mall in Tehran with about 20 Apple Stores close to each other! Same goes for Mashhad and other cities! And Iran is one of the cheapest places to buy an iPhones and even cheaper than UAE. If Apple comes to Iran, those prices will definitely go up!
What we need is an App Store where we can use our currency and the money in our banks, not by buying gift cards and from US App Store!
In America, a Christian baker is ostracized for not baking a cake for a gay wedding. But, Tim Cooke is going to open stores in Iran. The same Iran that beheads homosexuals or throws them off rooftops or forces mandatory sex reassignment surgery.