A sea change is coming to the country’s smartphone market – but the iPhone 6 is not the force beneath this tide.
In recent months cheaper high-end smartphones have begun to gain traction in the UAE. There has been a large influx of new smartphone brands and one of the most popular has proven to be the OnePlus One from the Shenzhen-based company OnePlus.
The phone offers high specifications for just US$299. It is selling so well around the world that it is more difficult for consumers to get their hands on one than on a new iPhone.
A review on the website techradar.com gave the phone four and a half out of five stars and said: “The OnePlus One offers Samsung Galaxy S5 performance for less than half the price. If that doesn’t make it attractive it also has a customisable OS and a 1080p display. There are a few downsides, but overall the OnePlus One is amazing value for money.”
The national smartphone market is currently is led by Samsung with its S range of phones. Apple is a strong second while the likes of HTC, Sony, Nokia all vie for the coveted third position spot. But bubbling up from beneath are the Chinese upstarts such as OnePlus, Huawei and Lenovo.
“I think it is those new low cost smartphones that will change the market dynamics significantly – not Apple iPhone 6 or 6 Plus,” said Nabila Popal, research manager at International Data Corp in Dubai.
“The introduction of the Apple phones will not cause any vendors, including Apple, to shift from one group to another or change ranking – thus not a major impact to the market dynamics,” said Ms Popal. “The only impact it will have will be in Apple’s market share, as it will win over high-end consumers who desired a larger screen size and until now only had Samsung or top end other vendor devices to chose from.”
According to the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) about 52 per cent of handsets in the UAE are smartphones, of which the iPhone 5 is the most popular handset with 2.8 per cent share followed by Samsung's SIII with 2.7 per cent. Overall, Nokia continues to dominate the handset market in the UAE with 50.2 per cent, followed by Samsung with 19.3 per cent and Apple with 9.1 per cent.
Still, many retailers were pleased with how the new iPhones have performed in their first month on the market.
The September 9 launch of the new phones was highly anticipated. Apple fans waited impatiently until the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus went on sale. The two devices sold 10 million units in the first three days around the world and demand for both show no signs of letting up in the UAE.
The iPhone 6 arrived in the Emirates with a recommended retail price of Dh2,599, but was fetching about Dh4,500 at grey market retailers.
The iPhone 6 plus, which is bigger, had a recommended price of Dh2,999 but was going for as much as Dh6,599.
Stocks of the new iPhones have been running low, with major retailers all selling out as new stocks come in.
“It has been selling very well, but the fact is there is limited availability so there is a shortage of stock at the moment,” said Nadeem Khanzadah, head of retail at Jumbo Electronics. “Whatever comes in is sold off immediately.”
Last week, du responded to high demand for the devices with a statement promising consumers that it has “provisioned a sufficient quantity... The availability of models may vary from one shop to the other, but this is constantly being monitored and stock is being replenished as necessary”.
The larger screen size of the 6 Plus has piqued the interest of many Nokia and BlackBerry users said Mr Khanzadah, who believes that the two phones may disrupt the smartphone market quite substantially. Others are more cautious and are waiting for the launch of Samsung's Note 4 mid-October to gauge the shape of the market.
“We’ve seen very strong sales so far versus other devices,” said Omar Kassim, co-founder of the retail website JadoPado. “I don’t think the iPhone 6 is in the ‘right’ price range to disrupt the entire UAE smartphone market, but it’s definitely making a big dent on the top end. While it’s too early to say, if this continues into the holiday season, it looks like the iPhone 6 will be a clear winner in this round.”
thamid@thenational.ae
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Heavily-sugared soft drinks slip through the tax net
Some popular drinks with high levels of sugar and caffeine have slipped through the fizz drink tax loophole, as they are not carbonated or classed as an energy drink.
Arizona Iced Tea with lemon is one of those beverages, with one 240 millilitre serving offering up 23 grams of sugar - about six teaspoons.
A 680ml can of Arizona Iced Tea costs just Dh6.
Most sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, five teaspoons of sugar in a 500ml bottle.
If you go...
Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.
Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Dengue%20fever%20symptoms
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Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
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If you go...
Flying
There is no simple way to get to Punta Arenas from the UAE, with flights from Dubai and Abu Dhabi requiring at least two connections to reach this part of Patagonia. Flights start from about Dh6,250.
Touring
Chile Nativo offers the amended Los Dientes trek with expert guides and porters who are met in Puerto Williams on Isla Navarino. The trip starts and ends in Punta Arenas and lasts for six days in total. Prices start from Dh8,795.
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TERMINAL HIGH ALTITUDE AREA DEFENCE (THAAD)
What is THAAD?
It is considered to be the US's most superior missile defence system.
Production:
It was created in 2008.
Speed:
THAAD missiles can travel at over Mach 8, so fast that it is hypersonic.
Abilities:
THAAD is designed to take out ballistic missiles as they are on their downward trajectory towards their target, otherwise known as the "terminal phase".
Purpose:
To protect high-value strategic sites, such as airfields or population centres.
Range:
THAAD can target projectiles inside and outside the Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of 150 kilometres above the Earth's surface.
Creators:
Lockheed Martin was originally granted the contract to develop the system in 1992. Defence company Raytheon sub-contracts to develop other major parts of the system, such as ground-based radar.
UAE and THAAD:
In 2011, the UAE became the first country outside of the US to buy two THAAD missile defence systems. It then stationed them in 2016, becoming the first Gulf country to do so.
England World Cup squad
Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wkt), Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, James Vince, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
$1,000 award for 1,000 days on madrasa portal
Daily cash awards of $1,000 dollars will sweeten the Madrasa e-learning project by tempting more pupils to an education portal to deepen their understanding of math and sciences.
School children are required to watch an educational video each day and answer a question related to it. They then enter into a raffle draw for the $1,000 prize.
“We are targeting everyone who wants to learn. This will be $1,000 for 1,000 days so there will be a winner every day for 1,000 days,” said Sara Al Nuaimi, project manager of the Madrasa e-learning platform that was launched on Tuesday by the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, to reach Arab pupils from kindergarten to grade 12 with educational videos.
“The objective of the Madrasa is to become the number one reference for all Arab students in the world. The 5,000 videos we have online is just the beginning, we have big ambitions. Today in the Arab world there are 50 million students. We want to reach everyone who is willing to learn.”
