First official Apple Store to open in UAE, Mall of the Emirates
It took long enough, but Virgin Megastore has finally answered UAE-based Apple fanboy’s calls and will be opening the region’s first official Apple Store next week. The store, in Dubai’s Mall of the Emirates, will be 100 per cent Apple, we’re told, complete with Apple staff and know-it-all Geniuses.
It’s a real boon for Apple-lovers in the UAE, who in the past have had to deal with extra-long waits for Cupertino’s latest toys or suffer the hugely-inflated prices on the grey market.
Bad news for other manufacturers though, who have no doubt capitalized on Apple’s lackluster presence in the region.
More info – including better images (these are just sample shots) in a bit – and we’re going to ask Richard Branson himself if this means the iPad 2 will get here any quicker.
[UPDATE - the exact date is March 16th, and Virgin Megastore will be celebrating by giving away vouchers to would-be iMac and MacBook buyers]
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i hope they come to saudi arabia as soon as possible
some idiot muslim suicide bomber will prolyl destory it.
http://www.privacy-tools.cz.tc
Dear Steve Jobs
Millions of customers in the Middle East need Apple support in opening an official store that sells, does maintenance, etc to all Apple products. In the absence of such support, a lot of Apple customers become frustrated due to lack of stores that sells Apple products and accessories. It’s not ideal for Apple customers to pay money, plus taxes for products in Europe while the products are going to be shipped to Middle East anyway. Same thing applies when customers send their Apple products for maintenance to Europe. This is only a sneak peak of the sever difficulties that Apple customers encounter in Middle East when it comes to purchase Apple products or when it comes to maintenance. We have many customers interested in Apple products, but the lack of official stores and support, does discourage customers from putting themselves in such situation while they have other competitive alternatives, more convenient, and they cost less.
Hopefully, your next focus point will be supporting Middle East
We are waiting for the opening of our country
we need for open Apple store in SaudiArabia
How is it an “official apple store” if it’s run by virgin?
The news is wrong this is not First official Apple Store!!
it is just authorized apple dealer.
If its an Apple store, what’s Virgin doing? I know Apple has an office in Abu Dhabi and they would definitely look at Dubai as an option, but I fail to understand the Virgin connection though & btw Virgin Megastore ME is a franchisee of Virgin UK.
Will the pricing be same or not far from the US?
I’m going to leave the same comment that I left at 9to5mac.com.
I’ve been living out in Dubai for around 20 years, and have been a “keen observer of the local Mac scene. It doesn’t make any sense for Apple to directly open a store within a store.
Virgin Megastore out here is run under a what I believe is a franchisee model. The local franchisee has on occasion carried grey market Apple products – iPhone 4 / iPad, when they haven’t been available through official distribution channels. I would not see this happening if Virgin were out here themselves – with their brand to protect.
I’ve been told by Apple’s exclusive distributor – Arab Business Machines (an arm of the Midis Group) that Apple already has an office out in Abu Dhabi.
A job posting that 9to5mac.com links to in it’s post on this issue makes sense. It explicitly states “ensure that Apple Sales Staff & Partner Staff who work in third party stores and Store Staff employed by our key reseller’s”. While I wouldn’t expect the job posting to give it away – this fits in with what I think will probably turn out to be another “Mac store” opened by a reseller.
It would be great to get Apple coming in directly to break up what is a region wide monopoly – but I doubt it’ll happen in retail right away – and definitely not a store within a store.
If anywhere, I’d expect an actual Apple Store at Dubai Mall, possibly on the Avenue that runs through Downtown Dubai, and a far shot as suggested by someone on Twitter – the new mall on Yas Island.
I think IRAN was a better choice for opening an Apple store in Mideast.
but as here said,it’s not an apple store and it’s just a common store for selling apple stuff.
Hi,
I m a Apple certified technician i want to wrok with u….
Hi, i m working in dubai but i want to work with u …….
Friends/Customer services! my uncle purchase iphone4s for me on 5th,feb,12 from usa and bring pakistan, after 20 days speaker of the phone is not working, there is no App store in our country. i am going dubai on 9th,Apr-14thApr,12 can go to app store dubai to clame my varanti i have lost purchase receipt, but i check online guarantee is valid. plz guide me where i go and what i do my email add is kaash100@hotmail.com
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[...] المصدر Posted in Apple, IT [...]
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[...] TweetMarch 9, 2011 at 10:40 am Currently, Apple shoppers must visit AppleCenter in DubaiAccording to Stuff Middle East, Apple is the final stages of opening an Apple Store in cash-drenched Dubai. The [...]
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[...] According to Stuff Middle East, Apple is the final stages of opening an Apple Store in cash-drenched Dubai. The Store – whether it is officially an ‘Apple Store’ or not, the distinction is dubious– will be a store within a store of Richard Branson’s Virgin Megastore. It will be staffed by Apple geniuses/employees, however and will retain the Apple Store “look and feel”. The store, in Dubai’s Mall of the Emirates, will be 100 per cent Apple, we’re told, complete with Apple staff and know-it-all Geniuses. It’s a real boon for Apple-lovers in the UAE, who in the past have had to deal with extra-long waits for Cupertino’s latest toys or suffer the hugely-inflated prices on the grey market. Bad news for other manufacturers though, who have no doubt capitalized on Apple’s lackluster presence in the region. [...]
[...] Stuff Middle East reports that Apple’s first official store in the Middle East will open in Dubai next week. They claim that the store will be fully owned by Apple and it will be located in Virgin Mega store at the Mall of the Emirates. Just like any Apple Store in the world, the one coming to Dubai will be full of Apple employees and Geniuses. Let’s wait and see if that’s true! [...]
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[...] gadget maker is planning on opening a store in the United Arab Emirates nation of Dubai. Citing an earlier report from gadget magazine Stuff, the company’s first official retail outlet in the MENA (Middle [...]
[...] According to Stuff Middle East, Apple is the final stages of opening an Apple Store in cash-drenched Dubai. The Store – whether it is officially an ‘Apple Store’ or not, the distinction is dubious– will be a store within a store of Richard Branson’s Virgin Megastore. It will be staffed by Apple geniuses/employees, however and will retain the Apple Store “look and feel”. The store, in Dubai’s Mall of the Emirates, will be 100 per cent Apple, we’re told, complete with Apple staff and know-it-all Geniuses. It’s a real boon for Apple-lovers in the UAE, who in the past have had to deal with extra-long waits for Cupertino’s latest toys or suffer the hugely-inflated prices on the grey market. Bad news for other manufacturers though, who have no doubt capitalized on Apple’s lackluster presence in the region. [...]
[...] stuffmideast.com, report Apple will be opening is first official store in UAE, Mall of the Emirates. According to the report the exact date of the store opening is 16th March. [...]
[...] Shambler / Stuff Middle East: First official Apple Store to open in UAE, Mall of the Emirates — It took long enough, but Virgin Megastore has finally answered UAE-based Apple [...]
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[...] According to Stuff Middle East, Apple is the final stages of opening an Apple Store in cash-drenched Dubai. The Store – whether it is officially an ‘Apple Store’ or not, the distinction is dubious– will be a store within a store of Richard Branson’s Virgin Megastore. It will be staffed by Apple geniuses/employees, however and will retain the Apple Store “look and feel”. The store, in Dubai’s Mall of the Emirates, will be 100 per cent Apple, we’re told, complete with Apple staff and know-it-all Geniuses. It’s a real boon for Apple-lovers in the UAE, who in the past have had to deal with extra-long waits for Cupertino’s latest toys or suffer the hugely-inflated prices on the grey market. Bad news for other manufacturers though, who have no doubt capitalized on Apple’s lackluster presence in the region. [...]
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[...] looks like Dubai will be getting its first Apple Store on March 16th, according to Stuff Middle East and picked up by [...]
[...] looks like Dubai will be getting its first Apple Store on March 16th, according to Stuff Middle East and picked up by [...]
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[...] [via Stuff Middle East] [...]
[...] According to Stuff Middle East, Apple is the final stages of opening an Apple Store in cash-drenched Dubai. The Store – whether it is officially an ‘Apple Store’ or not, the distinction is dubious– will be a store within a store of Richard Branson’s Virgin Megastore. It will be staffed by Apple geniuses/employees, however and will retain the Apple Store “look and feel”. The store, in Dubai’s Mall of the Emirates, will be 100 per cent Apple, we’re told, complete with Apple staff and know-it-all Geniuses. It’s a real boon for Apple-lovers in the UAE, who in the past have had to deal with extra-long waits for Cupertino’s latest toys or suffer the hugely-inflated prices on the grey market. Bad news for other manufacturers though, who have no doubt capitalized on Apple’s lackluster presence in the region. [...]