Black market iPhones being sold for $1,200 in Russia (AP)

In this July 11, 2008 file photo, models hold the new iPhones during the first day of the release in Hong Kong. The new iPhone, which is faster because it works on third-generation (3G) data networks, went on sale in 21 countries on July 11 and will soon be available in 70 countries. But Russia is not one of them, and neither is China. Apple is still negotiating with mobile service providers in both countries. A number of Russian Web sites were offering the new 3G iPhone for about US$1,200, more than six times the US$199 base price in the U.S. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, file)AP – In the Soviet days, Russians asked their American friends to bring blue jeans, rock records and other Western goods into the country. Today Russians can buy almost anything they want here — but they are still begging for one item: Apple Inc.’s slick iPhone.

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