Apple Inc. increased Russian prices for iPhones by about 25...

Apple Inc. increased Russian prices for iPhones by about 25 percent starting today because of the sharp devaluation of the ruble against the U.S. dollar this fall. Credit: AP / Mark Lennihan

Apple Inc. increased Russian prices for iPhones by about 25 percent starting today because of the sharp devaluation of the ruble against the U.S. dollar this fall.

An iPhone 6 with 16 gigabytes of storage now costs 39,990 rubles ($859) versus a previous price of 31,990 rubles, according to Apple’s online store in the country.

Earlier this month, Apple started advertising iPhones on Russian television to promote sales during the peak season.

Until now, Apple had refrained from raising prices even as the U.S. dollar rose by about a quarter against the ruble since Sept. 1. As a result, the Russian price for an iPhone has been Europe’s lowest at about $700, prompting tourists from other countries to buy iPhones in Moscow.

Still, downloading a Lady Gaga hit from Apple’s Russian iTunes store costs no more than it did at the start of the year.

Russians are still paying 19 rubles per song, the equivalent of 41 cents, compared with 58 cents at the start of the year.

Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney sat down with Newsday’s Doug Geed following Rex A. Heuermann’s guilty plea in court.  Credit: Newsday/John Paraskevas, File Footage; News12; Photo Credit: James Carbone; John Roca; Handout

'The thing that really struck me was the duality of it' Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney sat down with Newsday's Doug Geed following Rex A. Heuermann's guilty plea in court.

Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney sat down with Newsday’s Doug Geed following Rex A. Heuermann’s guilty plea in court.  Credit: Newsday/John Paraskevas, File Footage; News12; Photo Credit: James Carbone; John Roca; Handout

'The thing that really struck me was the duality of it' Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney sat down with Newsday's Doug Geed following Rex A. Heuermann's guilty plea in court.

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