Skip to main content

Apple’s retail efforts expand to Arab world with new store in Dubai

apples retail efforts expand to arab world with new store in dubai apple
Apple Store - Dubai
It’s been a long time coming, but Apple has finally opened the doors to its first ever retail stores in the Arab world.

The two new locations, both in the United Arab Emirates, opened on Thursday in Dubai’s Mall of the Emirates and Abu Dhabi’s Yas Mall.

Local media reported the usual hullabaloo we’ve come to expect from Apple store openings, with enthusiastic staff attempting to generate extra excitement by high-fiving the first visitors as they made their way into the stores.

Rumors earlier in the year suggested the Dubai site would be Apple’s largest to date, though Gulf News’ estimation that it covers just 10,000 square feet means London’s Covent Garden store remains comfortably the world’s largest at around 40,000 square feet.

With plenty of wealthy Emiratis and UAE-based expats already keeping staff busy in stores operated by global luxury brands such as Emporio Armani, and Burberry, the Cupertino company will likely feel it fits right in as it targets moneyed shoppers with its range of mobile devices.

apple store - abu dhabi
Apple Store - Abu Dhabi
Apple Store – Abu Dhabi

While Apple resellers in the UAE have for many years taken on the company’s retail role, the tech giant will be pleased to have its own specially trained staff on hand to talk customers through its products. This could certainly help drive sales of the Apple Watch, with Apple’s carefully crafted sales pitch perhaps helping to persuade some of the region’s wealthier consumers that the priciest $17,000 model is something you really shouldn’t be seen without.

And of course, the new stores mean the company can offer expert advice via its Genius Bar, a fact not lost on Dubai investment manager Abdullah Albanna.

“It’s great to have a store that can offer brilliant technical support and information, we’ve needed that,” Albanna told local news outlet The National.

Present at the Dubai store opening was Angela Ahrendts, Apple’s senior vice president for retail and online stores. However, the executive chose not to speak to the press, with an Apple representative saying she was simply “here to enjoy the day.”

With the UAE openings, Apple’s retail operation, which launched in 2001, now encompasses 18 countries

Editors' Recommendations

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
The Galaxy S24 just got a big camera update. Here’s what’s new
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra in Titanium Orange and in Titanium Silver.

Samsung Galaxy S24 owners just received some great news. Samsung recently released an April software update that addresses various camera issues. Unfortunately, this update is only available in South Korea, but according to information posted on the Samsung Korea forum, it is expected to be released in other regions soon.

Firmware version S928NKSU1AXCA is almost 800MB in size. It includes improvements for lowlight images and image colors in Samsung's Expert RAW app, improved text clarity when zooming in photo mode, and support for 480 x 480 resolution when recording Instant Slow-Mo videos. The Galaxy S24 update for April builds on the improvements from the previous February release, which included enhanced zoom, portrait mode, night mode, and rear camera video capture capabilities.

Read more
Apple just announced the dates for WWDC 2024
WWDC 2024 banner.

Apple has just announced the dates for its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2024. WWDC will take place from June 10 through June 14, 2024. A special event will be held at Apple Park in Cupertino, California, on June 10, and we expect to see the reveal of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, watchOS 11, tvOS 18, macOS 15, and visionOS 2.

WWDC will be free for all developers online. Developers will be able to access a variety of online sessions and labs that will showcase the latest advancements in software across all of Apple’s hardware.

Read more
Does the Moto G Stylus have NFC?
Moto G Stylus 5G 2023 leaning

The Motorola Moto G Stylus is a line of midrange Android smartphones, each of which comes packing a stylus — as the name ,akes clear. The two latest models are the Moto G Stylus (2023) and the Moto G Stylus 5G (2023). Although these models are similar, they have some noticeable differences, including their support for near-field communication (NFC) technology. This article will examine which Moto G Stylus models come with NFC and which do not.
What is NFC?

Near-field communication (NFC) is a technology that lets two gadgets communicate with each other when they are within a few centimeters of each other. It is useful for touch payments, e-tickets, data sharing, and effortlessly linking devices via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

Read more