iPhone 17 and Air sale in UAE: Apple says no walk-in purchases on launch day

Apple stores will only accept customers who have pre-ordered phones on Friday before in-store sales resume on Saturday

The iPhone 17 Pro Max during its launch at Apple Park in Cupertino, California. AFP

Apple will not allow walk-in purchases of its newest iPhones on launch day in the UAE, in a departure from recent years, as it braces for a rush of customers at its stores.

Apple Stores across the UAE will only accept customers who have pre-ordered the phones – iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max and iPhone Air – through its website and have opted for pick-up on Friday, according to its website.

The delivery option gives a waiting time of three to four weeks. In-store sales will resume on Saturday.

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Apple declined to comment on this year's delivery approach and the California company does not provide customer numbers on launch day.

However, one reason could be to have more control over launch-day sales. Crowds of customers descend on Apple Stores every year when the new iPhones go on sale, with branches opening early.

The queues usually remain throughout the day as shoppers hope to get hold of one of a limited number of iPhones believed to be reserved for walk-ins. However, Apple has always highlighted the high volume of advance-order customers during first-day sales.

There are four Apple Stores in the UAE – in The Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates in Dubai, and Yas Mall and Al Maryah Island in Abu Dhabi – with a fifth store to open in Al Ain this year. The company is also expanding its retail channels, online and physical, in Saudi Arabia.

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Apple introduced the new iPhones last week at its annual special event. The iPhone 17 Pro models were still the top-end models, but what stole the show was the iPhone Air, the 5.6mm-thin device that is expected to trigger a new battlefront in the smartphone wars.

Apple touts the iPhone Air, which it says is its most durable flagship product by far, as having “MacBook-level” power.

The company also unveiled the Watch Series 11, Watch SE 3, Watch Ultra 3 and AirPods Pro 3.

Apple has largely maintained its prices for the new iPhones, bucking early rumours of an across-the-board increase.

The company will probably delay the launch of the iPhone Air in China as Apple has yet to receive approval for the use of eSIMs, according to a report in the South China Morning Post.

The iPhone Air will be the first iPhone to exclusively use eSIMs, ditching physical nano-SIMs.

The Post also reported that orders for the new iPhones have broken records, exceeding the entire volume of the iPhone 16 series in only a minute.