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.
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.
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.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Going grey? A stylist's advice
If you’re going to go grey, a great style, well-cared for hair (in a sleek, classy style, like a bob), and a young spirit and attitude go a long way, says Maria Dowling, founder of the Maria Dowling Salon in Dubai.
It’s easier to go grey from a lighter colour, so you may want to do that first. And this is the time to try a shorter style, she advises. Then a stylist can introduce highlights, start lightening up the roots, and let it fade out. Once it’s entirely grey, a purple shampoo will prevent yellowing.
“Get professional help – there’s no other way to go around it,” she says. “And don’t just let it grow out because that looks really bad. Put effort into it: properly condition, straighten, get regular trims, make sure it’s glossy.”
The biog
Favourite book: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Favourite holiday destination: Spain
Favourite film: Bohemian Rhapsody
Favourite place to visit in the UAE: The beach or Satwa
Children: Stepdaughter Tyler 27, daughter Quito 22 and son Dali 19
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
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.
BULKWHIZ PROFILE
Date started: February 2017
Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce
Size: 50 employees
Funding: approximately $6m
Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait
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WHAT FANS WILL LOVE ABOUT RUSSIA
FANS WILL LOVE
Uber is ridiculously cheap and, as Diego Saez discovered, mush safer. A 45-minute taxi from Pulova airport to Saint Petersburg’s Nevsky Prospect can cost as little as 500 roubles (Dh30).
FANS WILL LOATHE
Uber policy in Russia is that they can start the fare as soon as they arrive at the pick-up point — and oftentimes they start it even before arriving, or worse never arrive yet charge you anyway.
FANS WILL LOVE
It’s amazing how active Russians are on social media and your accounts will surge should you post while in the country. Throw in a few Cyrillic hashtags and watch your account numbers rocket.
FANS WILL LOATHE
With cold soups, bland dumplings and dried fish, Russian cuisine is not to everybody’s tastebuds. Fortunately, there are plenty Georgian restaurants to choose from, which are both excellent and economical.
FANS WILL LOVE
The World Cup will take place during St Petersburg's White Nights Festival, which means perpetual daylight in a city that genuinely never sleeps. (Think toddlers walking the streets with their grandmothers at 4am.)
FANS WILL LOATHE
The walk from Krestovsky Ostrov metro station to Saint Petersburg Arena on a rainy day makes you wonder why some of the $1.7 billion was not spent on a weather-protected walkway.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE BIO
Family: I have three siblings, one older brother (age 25) and two younger sisters, 20 and 13
Favourite book: Asking for my favourite book has to be one of the hardest questions. However a current favourite would be Sidewalk by Mitchell Duneier
Favourite place to travel to: Any walkable city. I also love nature and wildlife
What do you love eating or cooking: I’m constantly in the kitchen. Ever since I changed the way I eat I enjoy choosing and creating what goes into my body. However, nothing can top home cooked food from my parents.
Favorite place to go in the UAE: A quiet beach.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Ashes
Results
First Test, Brisbane: Australia won by 10 wickets
Second Test, Adelaide: Australia won by 120 runs
Third Test, Perth: Australia won by an innings and 41 runs
Fourth Test: Melbourne: Drawn
Fifth Test: Australia won by an innings and 123 runs
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
