APPLE fans in Russia will have a hard time watching the firm’s latest iPhone launch when it kicks off later today.
According to MacRumors‘ Sami Fathi, the tech titan has blocked its live stream of the event on the Russian versions of YouTube and Apple.com.
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It comes days after Apple announced that it was halting sales of iPhones and other products in the country in response to the invasion of Ukraine.
The firm is expected to unveil new models of the iPhone SE and iPad Air at its March 8 event, which it has titled “Peek Performance”.
As with previous product launches, Apple is live streaming the showcase to fans across the globe.
Broadcasts are already live on the firm’s website and YouTube channel, showing a dark screen before things kick off in earnest at 6 p.m. UK time (1 p.m. EST).
However, it appears Russians won’t have the option to watch through official means as new gadgets and software are announced.
“Apple is blocking access to the #AppleEvent on YouTube in #Russia,” Fathi tweeted on Tuesday morning.
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“The event is also not shown on Apple’s Russian website.”
A screengrab attached to his tweet shows YouTube Russia open in a browser with the official Apple live stream of its March 8 event open.
A warning message over the video reads: “Video unavailable. The uploader has not been made available in your country”.
A number of Russian Apple fans have reported similar issues online, according to screengrabs published by Aroged.
Apple has not issued a statement on why it has decided to prohibit the viewing of the online broadcast from Russia.
The Sun has reached out to the company for comment.
A 5G budget-friendly iPhone and a new iPad top expectations from analysts for Apple’s spring product launch event on Tuesday.
With the SE currently priced at $399, a big question is whether Apple will raise the price of the phone, passing on some higher costs from snarled global supply chains.
The United States, Japan and Western Europe have been the top markets for iPhone SE sales in recent years, according to researcher IDC.
The iPhone maker is also expected to launch a new version of the iPad Air and a high-end Mac Mini, a computer without a monitor that is also a budget-friendly way into the Apple product lineup.
Analysts also wonder if Chief Executive Tim Cook will comment on the war in Ukraine.
Apple said on March 1 it had paused all product sales in Russia in response to the Russian invasion.
The Russian state media, RT News and Sputnik News, are no longer available for download from the Apple Store outside Russia.
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In other news, the mystery surrounding why prehistoric Brits built Stonehenge has finally been solved after research confirmed that the monument served as an ancient solar calendar.
In other news, the iPhone’s virtual assistant, Siri, is getting a new, “gender-neutral” voice.
A British woman has told of her horror after scammers used photos of a “silver fox” politician to trick her out of £80,000.
And, Norfolk County Council is suing Apple over what it says was misleading information about iPhone sales.
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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
