Approximately 1,700 people attended the grand opening of Brazil’s first retail store in a suburb of Rio de Janeiro. The huge crowd showed up at the Village Mall store, in spite of steep import tariffs which mean prices are 80% higher than those in the U.S.
As the LA Times observes, a 16GB iPhone 5s sells for the equivalent of $1,174 in Brazil, compared to $649 in the U.S.
The store was reportedly planned all the way back in 2012, and an approximate opening date was only learned in October of last year.
In an attempt to avoid the high import tariffs, Apple has been working with Foxconn to setup manufacturing or assembly plants in the country of Brazil.