New iPad interest tails off after initial rush

Queues gather following the midnight launch of the new iPad but there is none of the hysteria associated with the launch of a new Apple product.

DUBAI // Shops in malls were open until the early hours of Saturday following the midnight launch of the new iPad.

In The Dubai Mall, Virgin Megastores closed at 1am and iStyle closed at 1.30am, as queues of people gathered outside the shops to be among the first to get hold - officially at least - the latest device.

"I can't give sales figures, but it was plenty," said Ali al Juneidi, store manager for iStyle. "For a midnight launch on a Friday, it was very good. We didn't expect that much."

Saeed Mohammed, 37, from the UAE, said he attempted to buy an iPad from the shop after midnight but was put off by the crowds of Apple fans.

"I went there, but it was too crowded," he said. "I couldn't park. I thought that I might have better luck another time."

Mr Mohammed returned on Saturday morning when the queues were shorter. Both iStyle and Virgin had only a smattering of customers after 10am.

Some customers speculated that the drop off in interest may have been due to the high number of purchases of the device on the grey market.

The new iPad was available through the grey market at many UAE retailers in March. However, Apple warned that it would not service devices bought ahead of the official UAE launch date.

Mr Mohammed said that was the reason he held off until the official launch. "I didn't want to buy it then, because I knew it would be released eventually," he said. "I'm not in a hurry."

Even so, many shops stocking the grey market release have already done a brisk trade. A sales assistant at Tarsam, in Dubai Mall, said that the new model had been out of stock for the past five days.

Fergus Appleton, from the UK, purchased an iPad shortly after Virgin opened on Saturday. He said the fact that there weren't many customers was not a surprise.

"We weren't really expected queues of people," he said. "If people were desperate they would have gotten them on the grey market anyway."

A big selling point of the new iPad is its 4G internet connectivity. However, the device is incompatible with the Middle East's 4G network.

In March, Apple was warned by the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) that it should explain the problem at the point of sale, in order to not "deceive" the customer.

Mr Appleton said the sales assistant in Virgin had explained the matter openly, but that he was unconcerned. "The US and Europe have got 4G now, so I'm guessing the UAE is going to have it sometime soon," he said.