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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

#31

Post by pertymcpert »

oefrha wrote: post #20
pertymcpert wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are still tons of fake apple stores in China. They're also in prominent places that you'd expect Apple to open, not in small side streets etc.

Apple has lots of authorized resellers. Apple’s official site has a locator: https://locate.apple.com/sales or https://locate.apple.com/cn/zh/sales . Not being an official Apple Store doesn’t mean it’s fake, especially if it’s in a prominent mall or something.

I'm very well aware what they are. Authorized resellers are not supposed to look like real Apple stores.

If you see an "Apple Store" that looks real but isn't an official Apple Store then it's fake, or its an authorized reseller that if Apple finds out about them will lose their status as a reseller.

Re: A small community of unofficial Apple technicians in Cuba

#32

Post by 0xDEF »

Synaesthesia wrote: post #30
0xDEF wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>There is nothing lax about the trade embargo. Tell that to the people who can’t get food and medicine. Cubans have all the food and medicine they need because China, Europe, Canada, Mexico, and the rest of the world still trades with them. The US and Israel are the only countries that have imposed a (very lax) trade ban on Cuba.

It's a very extreme embargo, affecting all US companies or all companies that are connected to the US which is an enormous amount of them. It's difficult for a European or foreign company to do business with Cuba because they could end up being sanctioned by the US.

Does that really happen? Has there been any incident of European companies being sanctioned by the US because they traded with Cuba?

Here is a Danish article about more Danish and European companies operating in Cuba because they expect a Vietnam/China-like economic boom:

https://politiken.dk/oekonomi/gloekonomi/art5577587/Virksomh...

Denmark is a NATO country and the US is our main export partner. We wouldn't be trading with Cuba if it put our relationship with the US at risk.

Re: A small community of unofficial Apple technicians in Cuba

#33

Post by madarcho »

ks2048 wrote: post #29
yen223 wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are no official Apple stores in Malaysia. But there are Apple "premium resellers" [1] who have shops that strongly resemble Apple stores. The ones in Malaysia are sanctioned by Apple, since they appear on Apple's own store locator website [2]. [1] Google "machines malaysia" for example [2] https://locate.apple.com/my/en/sales?pt=4&lat=3.160000085830...

This seems to be the case in many parts of the world. Here is a picture of an "iShop" store in Guatemala City: https://maps.app.goo.gl/GRuxFf5iupVfJApz8

And we don't necessarily need to step out of the western world to see it. I still remember Authorized Retailers in France before the expansion of Apple stores beyond the US. In Denmark, there is still exclusively these "Premium Authorized Resellers".

Re: A small community of unofficial Apple technicians in Cuba

#34

Post by Maken »

0xDEF wrote: post #32
Synaesthesia wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a very extreme embargo, affecting all US companies or all companies that are connected to the US which is an enormous amount of them. It's difficult for a European or foreign company to do business with Cuba because they could end up being sanctioned by the US.

Does that really happen? Has there been any incident of European companies being sanctioned by the US because they traded with Cuba? Here is a Danish article about more Danish and European companies operating in Cuba because they expect a Vietnam/China-like economic boom: https://politiken.dk/oekonomi/gloekonomi/art5577587/Virksomh... Denmark is a NATO country and the US is our main export partner. We wouldn't be tra…

Yes, it does happen. Not long ago a Spanish company got in trouble because they operated an hotel in a building that belonged to an USA citizen before the Cuban revolution [1]. A Norwegian company was also charged for using a dock in Cuba, which again, was once American property [2]. I think this kind of thing is becoming more rare since apparently only people who was alive when the Helms-Burton nonsense was passed can litigate, but it is definitely a real danger for anybody doing business in Cuba.

[1] https://www.vozpopuli.com/economia_y_finanzas/retiran-demand...

[2] https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/us-jud...

Re: A small community of unofficial Apple technicians in Cuba

#35

Post by cmrdporcupine »

0xDEF wrote: post #32
Synaesthesia wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a very extreme embargo, affecting all US companies or all companies that are connected to the US which is an enormous amount of them. It's difficult for a European or foreign company to do business with Cuba because they could end up being sanctioned by the US.

Does that really happen? Has there been any incident of European companies being sanctioned by the US because they traded with Cuba? Here is a Danish article about more Danish and European companies operating in Cuba because they expect a Vietnam/China-like economic boom: https://politiken.dk/oekonomi/gloekonomi/art5577587/Virksomh... Denmark is a NATO country and the US is our main export partner. We wouldn't be tra…

It absolutely happens. My friend's father worked for a Canadian nickel mining company that did business in Cuba, and because of this couldn't set foot in the US. Ships that dock in Cuban ports can't then go to US ports. currency exchange, bank accounts, everything is complicated.

It's true the rest of the western world has basically said "f you" to the US about the trade embargo there, but it doesn't mean that it's ineffective. So much of western capitalism is built around the US financial and legal system that it has a huge impact, not to mention the consequences it can have for people traveling, etc.

Perhaps the worst part about the embargo is that it gives the Cuban gov't an excuse for its mediocrity and authoritarian behaviour. Basically all internal problems get blamed on it.

And it has kept the Cuban regime in a hostile place re: the US. Obama made some moves to rectify this, but Trump reversed them and then doubled back down.

Re: A small community of unofficial Apple technicians in Cuba

#36

Post by gambiting »

madarcho wrote: post #33
ks2048 wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This seems to be the case in many parts of the world. Here is a picture of an "iShop" store in Guatemala City: https://maps.app.goo.gl/GRuxFf5iupVfJApz8

And we don't necessarily need to step out of the western world to see it. I still remember Authorized Retailers in France before the expansion of Apple stores beyond the US. In Denmark, there is still exclusively these "Premium Authorized Resellers".

There's lots of them in Poland even though Apple now has official presence in the country(although online only, I don't think they have any official Apple Stores yet).

Re: A small community of unofficial Apple technicians in Cuba

#37

Post by adolfojp »

miguelazo wrote: post #25
ggm wrote: post #2

Since 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…

There is nothing lax about the trade embargo. Tell that to the people who can’t get food and medicine. This stuff gets in because there’s still lots of travel and people are clever. > create sufficient internal backpressure to liberalise the market, that it makes sense for the Cuban government to give in. I wonder if it works? After more than 50 years, I think the answer is that it doesn’t work. And the US sanctions…

Food and medicine get in because they're exempt from the embargo and because the embargo doesn't stop Cuba from engaging in commerce with other countries. Cuba imports 80% of its food and the US is one of its largest suppliers.

Re: A small community of unofficial Apple technicians in Cuba

#38

Post by csomar »

yen223 wrote: post #18
a2tech wrote: post #6

Our 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.

There are no official Apple stores in Malaysia. But there are Apple "premium resellers" [1] who have shops that strongly resemble Apple stores. The ones in Malaysia are sanctioned by Apple, since they appear on Apple's own store locator website [2]. [1] Google "machines malaysia" for example [2] https://locate.apple.com/my/en/sales?pt=4&lat=3.160000085830...

strongly resemble is fine (maybe encouraged?). These stores do not claim Apple copyright and also advertise themselves as resellers. Also, being a premium reseller, they do handle warranty (regardless of whether you bought the product there, in another store, or from another country).

Re: A small community of unofficial Apple technicians in Cuba

#39

Post by ovi256 »

a2tech wrote: post #6

Our 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.

I knew of a fake Ikea mini-store in Kiev in 2014.
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