Apple's new iPhone 4, which went on sale last week in the United States, costs 15 times more on the Russian black market than in the United States.
The device, which will appear on the Russian market in September, is selling for 90,000 rubles (about) at Moscow's infamous unauthorized gadget market, Gorbushka.
"The iPhone 4 went on sale at the Gorbushka market on the same day that official sales began in the United States and Europe," a seller at the market said, adding that there was great demand for the gadget, despite the high price.
He said dozens of people forking out for the latest Apple model every day.
The smartphone went on sale in the United States, Great Britain, France, Germany and Japan on June 24. Some 1.7 million devices were sold in the first three days.
The iPhone 4 costs $199 - 299 in the United States with a two-year contract and 600-700 euros in Europe without a contract.
The salesman said the unauthorized phones sold in Russia are non-contract models from Europe (mainly Britain,) which can be unlocked and used with any SIM-card.
Last week, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev became the first Russian owner of the iPhone 4 after Apple CEO Steve Jobs gave him the gadget as a present during the president's U.S. tour.
MOSCOW, July 1 (RIA Novosti)
