Apple’s iPhone has become a must-have accessory around the world. Russian consumers are no different, and many are desperate to get their hands on the product. The problem is iPhones are not yet available in Russia – legally that is. This has

Some 250,000 models are thought to be in use here, with another 20,000 arriving each month in suitcases from America.

In Russia, owning an iPhone comes with a catch. Each handset has to be unlocked from the inside. It’s the only way it’ll work on local networks. And this is not something you should try at home.

Dial a hacker.

One young muscovite exists solely on the proceeds of unlocking iPhones. Speaking to RT, Aleksey was torn between wanting to hide his face from the law, and his desire to promote a growing business.

“Some acquaintances of mine have a company which does this, and they have queues of people waiting. I think up to 20 or 30 phones a day pass through there,” Aleksey estimated.

In Russia, iPhones are sold for up to $US 1,000, more than double the U.S. price, and that’s not counting the extra cost of unlocking.

Rumour has it that iPhones will officially be on sale in Russia shortly, but experts are sceptical this will change anything.

People here don’t like to be limited. They want to be able to switch sim-cards and phones at will.  As a result, they go on hacking.

So, even if the iPhone does make the transition from black market to white, it will come with a big legal question mark.