When it comes to South America, buying or selling electronics isn’t exactly an easy job. Anything that isn’t manufactured locally comes with unbelievably exorbitant price tags. Despite such adverse trade circumstances, the South American electronics market is booming and Apple has decided to make its debut just in time.
According to reports, an Apple retail store has been under construction in Brazil for quite some time now. The store is located in Rio de Janeiro and the company aims to open the store in March 2014. Although Brazil has the potential for being a huge electronics market, the country levies hefty taxes on any electronics manufactured elsewhere.
To give an idea of the exceptionally high price tags in Brazil, Apple’s iPhone 5C costs $1000 in the country. In contrast, the handset costs a mere $550 in the U.S. Same goes for the prices of other iPhone handsets and iPad slates.
Despite such heavy taxes and the resultant price tags, the sales of Apple devices in the country have been on the rise. This can be explained by the fact that Brazil, and South America at large, is warming up tech products and internet only now. In other words, the region has immense potential of growth in these areas and tech companies are quick to discern that.
Apple’s decision to open the store in Rio de Janeiro in March 2014 is a smart one. FIFA World Cup 2014 is due to take place in Brazil at nearly the same time and Apple stands to make huge sales, thanks to the millions of tourists that will attend the event.
Courtesy: QZ
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