Thursday, Oct 29, 2015

Dubai: The Middle East’s first Apple stores officially opened in Dubai and Abu Dhabi on Thursday.

In Dubai and Abu Dhabi, residents and tourists flocked to the Apple stores in Mall of the Emirates and Yas Mall.

Crowds queued at the doors for hours waiting for the grand opening and viewed everything from the new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus to the Apple Watch and Beats headphones.

Angela Ahrendts, senior vice-president of retail and online stores at Apple, attended the Dubai store’s opening.

The outlets feature more than 150 products including Apple Watches, iPhones, MacBook Pros, Beats headphones, iPads, iMacs, Apple TVs and select third-party accessories.

Majority of the consumers said that they wanted to buy Apple gadgets from the store because they are the first Apple stores in the region, making it a special experience. They also said that they wanted to be part of the opening.

Meanwhile, some shoppers said that they were drawn to the store because Apple offers better customer service than other resellers of Apple products.

One man who was queuing outside the Dubai store came from Abu Dhabi to buy the iPhone 6s Plus and a MacBook Pro. He said that he waited for the opening of the store to buy the products. “I prefer to have my iPhone from the first Apple store in the Middle East. I am also here because they have free training of how to use the products,” said Hatef Khoury, adding that he planned to go to the opening of the other Apple store in Abu Dhabi.

Similarly, Indian tourist Mudit Jain said that he “wanted to be part of the inauguration” of the store. He wanted to buy an Apple Watch and an iPhone 6s. Some consumers left the store with their purchases. Rashid Bin Safwan, an Emirati living in Dubai, bought accessories for his iPhone and MacBook Pro.

“What’s great about an Apple store is that the service there is good. I have been through bad experiences with other retailers in the UAE, but when I went to an Apple store in Europe, they tried to fix my iPhone, and when they couldn’t they replaced it with a new one,” he said.

Albert Jokelin, 14, was the first customer in line, waiting for six hours until the grand opening in Abu Dhabi. He was also the first buyer, purchasing a gold iPhone 6S. Jokelin had been eyeing an Apple purchase for some time, before hearing about the opening.

Natalie Arzoumarian, an Abu Dhabi resident, came to the opening with her two children. “We’ve been to Apple stores in France, London, and Spain. My son is absolutely addicted to Apple, so we knew we had to come to their first store in Abu Dhabi. We already have the Apple TV, Apple Watch, iPhones and Apple laptops, but we’re checking the Apple watch again and might buy one,” she said.

Another customer, Harish Chand, who waited in line for three hours, said that he has never been to any Apple store, so he was excited to visit the first one here. “I’m really looking forward to buying an iPhone 6s Plus,” he said.

Also in line was Saeed Ebrahim, 17, who got an email from Apple informing him about the opening in the capital. “I’ve been waiting in line for three hours to buy an iPhone. After hearing the announcement from Apple, I was really interested in attending the grand opening,” Ebrahim said.

Apple has been present in the Middle East for more than 30 years, and its products have been popular with consumers here, according to Wendy Beckman, Apple’s retail division head for Europe and the Middle East.

The store’s design is similar to that of Apple stores in the US, with large glass displays, oak tables and minimalist interiors.

Green is a strong feature in the store, which has trees imported from the Netherlands and a ‘green wall’ made of small plants. It also has a big video wall next to a relaxing area with tables and trees.

Both the new stores offer the same services offered by Apple worldwide, including free workshops, special events and year-round programmes for children.

The tech giant currently has 466 retail stores across 17 countries, including the stores in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

“It was important to us that we open in Dubai and Abu Dhabi on the same day. They’re both incredible cities, each for their own reasons, and we expect both will be very popular with residents and tourists alike,” Beckman told journalists during a media preview in Dubai on Tuesday.

By Sarah Algethami ?and Sarah Diaa Staff Reporters

Gulf News 2015. All rights reserved.