A small community of unofficial Apple technicians in Cuba
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A small community of unofficial Apple technicians in Cuba
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Re: A small community of unofficial Apple technicians in Cuba
#2Since this kind of trade embargo is so lax, it can only be assumed to be formally a part of the foreign policy strategic goal: create sufficient internal backpressure to liberalise the market, that it makes sense for the Cuban government to give in. I wonder if it works?
There is no specific "only apple" in this. So, all the anti-cuban government info is available via VPN from other places, via the local copy wikipedia &c. It would work on Android. There might be "I trust apple more, I trust icloud more to protect my secrecy" or "Less spyware risk" maybe.
At this point, I would think that being part of a combine which collects old apple gear (actually, almost any ICT gear), puts it in a container, and ships to Havana would work fine. I doubt every US government body wants that so you'd be placed in the position of evading ITAR regulations or some equivalent.
You would think that much the same happens in Syria, Libya, Iran, you-name-it: equipment beyond end-of-life in the developed west winds up either in the waste stream or part of a container delivered via various paths into these economies for the value it has, mending other things or being mended itself.
Re: A small community of unofficial Apple technicians in Cuba
#3Since this kind of trade embargo is so lax, it can only be assumed to be formally a part of the foreign policy strategic goal: create sufficient internal backpressure to liberalise the market, that it makes sense for the Cuban government to give in. I wonder if it works? There is no specific "only apple" in this. So, all the anti-cuban government info is available via VPN from other places, via the local copy wikiped…
Another classic example of used products given new life in an organized matter: a lot of used cars end up in Africa.
Re: A small community of unofficial Apple technicians in Cuba
#4Since this kind of trade embargo is so lax, it can only be assumed to be formally a part of the foreign policy strategic goal: create sufficient internal backpressure to liberalise the market, that it makes sense for the Cuban government to give in. I wonder if it works? There is no specific "only apple" in this. So, all the anti-cuban government info is available via VPN from other places, via the local copy wikiped…
Another classic example of used products given new life in an organized matter: a lot of used cars end up in Africa.
I slowly hitchhiked from Europe to West Africa in 2007 and from Western Sahara on, my drivers were all French people driving some old car down to sell for a little quick cash. But already by that time Senegal had said enough already, and so drivers had to head for Mali or Burkina Faso instead. I wonder if the violence in those countries in recent years has put a damper on the used car trade, or if they too banned such informal imports.
Re: A small community of unofficial Apple technicians in Cuba
#5Earlier quoted context omitted.
Another classic example of used products given new life in an organized matter: a lot of used cars end up in Africa.
I slowly hitchhiked from Europe to West Africa in 2007 and from Western Sahara on, my drivers were all French people driving some old car down to sell for a little quick cash. But already by that time Senegal had said enough already, and so drivers had to head for Mali or Burkina Faso instead. I wonder if the violence in those countries in recent years has put a damper on the used car trade, or if they too banned suc…
ABC news here in Australia has a story about Tonga drowning in 30,000 broken used cars, which has motivated an intervention to get a local crushing plant working so the metals can be sent back to Japan for recycling, and to get productive land back into use. Small pacific island economies are the end of the road in every sense.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2023-09-19/how-tonga-pla...
Africa has different problems. Friends had to leave a Morris Minor van in the desert, there were no UK conforming spare parts, if they'd driven a french car or truck almost anything would have worked because metric. That was a few decades ago but they said the landscape was littered with broken cromwell, challenger and other tanks, from the desert campaigns. The rate of rain is low enough these metal hulks last many decades.
Re: A small community of unofficial Apple technicians in Cuba
#6Our old exchange student from Turkmenistan insisted that there was an Apple store in a couple of malls in Ashgabat, but I showed her that Apple doesn't officially sell anything in TM. She sent me some pictures and it was a complete clone of the official Apple store. Down to outfits, displays, the whole thing. Selling brand new, smuggled in, iPhones/iPads/etc. It was wild.
Re: A small community of unofficial Apple technicians in Cuba
#7Our old exchange student from Turkmenistan insisted that there was an Apple store in a couple of malls in Ashgabat, but I showed her that Apple doesn't officially sell anything in TM. She sent me some pictures and it was a complete clone of the official Apple store. Down to outfits, displays, the whole thing. Selling brand new, smuggled in, iPhones/iPads/etc. It was wild.
This was the case in China too until Apple heavily expanded there. There were many knockoff Apple Stores with slightly lower quality outfitting. Here's an "Apple Store" in Iran: https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-tehran-iran-16th-oct-2014-...
Re: A small community of unofficial Apple technicians in Cuba
#8Our old exchange student from Turkmenistan insisted that there was an Apple store in a couple of malls in Ashgabat, but I showed her that Apple doesn't officially sell anything in TM. She sent me some pictures and it was a complete clone of the official Apple store. Down to outfits, displays, the whole thing. Selling brand new, smuggled in, iPhones/iPads/etc. It was wild.
Do you know of any pictures of these Turkmen 'apple stores' online?
Re: A small community of unofficial Apple technicians in Cuba
#9Since this kind of trade embargo is so lax, it can only be assumed to be formally a part of the foreign policy strategic goal: create sufficient internal backpressure to liberalise the market, that it makes sense for the Cuban government to give in. I wonder if it works? There is no specific "only apple" in this. So, all the anti-cuban government info is available via VPN from other places, via the local copy wikiped…
Everybody’s enjoying Cuba for travel and accomodations except the US, and as usual in the US we only get the extreme perspective of whoever was a loser in their home country. Comfortable people don’t go out of their way to come here.
It really skews our perspective, the Cuban government doesn’t need to give in to anything. The article is about a German resident just chilling in Cuba, and picking up an iPhone in Miami on a weekend bender. Nobody cares about the US’ political machinations so that Florida votes swing in the desired direction, the rest of the world gives Cuba enough commerce and doesnt think anything of it.
Re: A small community of unofficial Apple technicians in Cuba
#10Since this kind of trade embargo is so lax, it can only be assumed to be formally a part of the foreign policy strategic goal: create sufficient internal backpressure to liberalise the market, that it makes sense for the Cuban government to give in. I wonder if it works? There is no specific "only apple" in this. So, all the anti-cuban government info is available via VPN from other places, via the local copy wikiped…
Everybody’s enjoying Cuba for travel and accomodations except the US, and as usual in the US we only get the extreme perspective of whoever was a loser in their home country. Comfortable people don’t go out of their way to come here. It really skews our perspective, the Cuban government doesn’t need to give in to anything. The article is about a German resident just chilling in Cuba, and picking up an iPhone in Miami…
Ironic how Cuba used to be a authoritarian country where Americans went to party.
Now it's an authoritarian country where everyone but Americans go to party.