Reported by GSMDome, Russian authorities will reportedly ban the iPhone and iPad due to worries over Apple’s iCloud service. The justification is that data saved in iCloud is not stored in local servers. The servers Apple employ for iCloud are based in the United States, not in Russia.
Apple is not the only company targeted by the newly-created law, since it applies to any online service with servers based elsewhere, including social networks. While Apple can remedy this by basing a server farm in Russia, that could arguably create a precedent.
Such a ban could be very hard to impose on iPhones already in use in Russia, so the ban could probably be more of an ISP ban, which would forbid access to iCloud. Regardless, the ban will reportedly begin on January 1, 2015.
The relationship between Russia and Apple has soured in recent days, as a Steve Jobs memorial was dismantled due to Apple CEO Time Cook’s recent announcement that he is gay.
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