Thousands of iPads sold in Romania

iPad, the PC tablet launched in April 2010 by American company Apple, last year sold around 8,000-10,000 units in Romania, according to unofficial market estimates. Sales have seen a strong rise despite the American company not having a local office or paying for local advertising campaigns. Apple products are, however, heavily promoted in the media, with the interest for the iPad increasing after the gadget was purchased by the top three Romanian state officials - President Traian Băsescu, Premier Emil Boc and Senate speaker Mircea Geoană. Sales were also boosted following the intensive promotional campaign conducted by Cosmote and Vodafone when they introduced iPhone 4 in their offer, says Marius Ghenea, head of online retailer pcfun.ro. iPad and iPhone boast good spontaneous demand, "which eases the sale process'.
Sales of Apple products also rose significantly at eMag, says Radu Apostolescu, marketing manager: "The increase recorded in 2010 against 2009 is 3,000%. Apple products accounted for around 3% of eMag sales in 2010," which were estimated at 100 million euros.