In the hardware industry, there is a strong market for G3/G4 upgrade cards, with Newer Technology and Sonnet being distributed by Passport Distribuidora. Sales of the PCI 7300-9600 line are increasing too. Sales of the beige/blue G3 began not long ago, according to Fernando Pereira, Passport Distribuidora's director. Sales of the 6xxx model, however, are weak; as are sales of the 4400, 7220 and of PowerBooks.

"There are only a few machines (4400-7220) in Brazil. There is strong demand for 7200, recently launched. Sales of these products are going to be good," Pereira added.

Brazilian Internet Usage

Earlier this year, Brazil saw a boom of free Internet Service Providers. The free ISP was regarded skeptically by some specialists.

In a country where an Internet link is very costly, advertising online is not considered sufficient to pay the cost overlay. Now, the country is seeing the first signs of life for broadband connection through DSL technology.

Speedy Access will soon appear by the Spanish Telefonica company in Sao Paulo city, with package speeds 256Kbps, 512Kbps and 2Mbps for download stream. However, when Speedy was released, the public did not know if it was compatible with the Mac platform. Technically proficient users assumed that the new service would compatible using TCP/IP protocol, but many were told by the company's technical support that the service was not Mac compatible.

After the confusion, the company is now correctly informing the public that the service is Mac compatible.

Those inclined to use Windows regularly spread rumors that Apple was about to go bankrupt, and therefore no one ought to buy Apple products. What those Windows users did not anticipate was that the worst was over for Apple, and the iMac was destined to be more than just another pretty computer. Apple is slowly regaining lost ground from the dark days before the second coming of Steve Jobs.

Recently, Apple Brazil launched a Cube advertisement on the major Brazilian TV channel. In addition to the television campaign, which surprised Brazilians, Apple has also invested in advertising with cable TV networks, best-selling magazines, outdoor spots, on buses and in theatres. Apple's attempt to reach targeted niches is quite clear. According to many users, Apple's campaigns for cable TV networks are too "American" for the Brazilian audience. Despite that, the brand is gaining in popularity.

Unfortunately, Apple Brazil doesn't disclose even an approximate number of how many iMacs there are in Brazil. Any number they gave would probably be inaccurate anyway. High computer prices in Brazil have created a significant demand for contraband. PowerBooks and PowerMacs are considered too expensive for the average Brazilian, and are sold on the black market.

Only recently did Apple Brazil launch AppleLine, a service which allows the purchase of Apple products by phone. The service has helped increase legitimate sales.