Apple started selling its latest iPhones in the UAE on Friday, greeted by the usual rush as customers queued to buy the devices, the product of the biggest design shake-up in years.
Thousands were in the queue on Friday at Dubai Mall's Apple Store when it opened its famed "solar wings" doors at 8am.
The company is not allowing walk-in purchases on launch day, in a departure from recent years. Only customers who ordered the phones – iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max and iPhone Air – through its website and have opted for pickup will be granted access.
Muhammad Shaka, the first in the queue, placed his order last Friday. He picked up two iPhone 17 Pro Max.
"The colour is fantastic. It's very crazy to see this," Mr Shaka, who is from Pakistan and lives in Dubai, told The National.
Shameer Kader, an Indian living in Dubai, said he barely slept in preparation for launch day.
"I'm very excited about the new phone. After [morning] prayers, I just came here and arrived a little after 5am," he told The National.
Mr Kader, who also bought two iPhone 17 Pro Max, said what attracted him the most are the new colours, the A19 Pro chip, the cameras and IOS 26, the latest iPhone operating system featuring liquid glass.
He added that, as a loyal iPhone user, he has always kept tabs on new launches.
"We're watching what are the new things [on the latest iPhones]. I want to touch and feel them ... so I just wait for a long time, very excited," he added.
The turnout at the Apple store shows the continued popularity of the iPhone, which some consider a benchmark for innovation and trends.
There are four Apple stores in the UAE – in 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.
“Apple has always had a unique ability to turn incremental updates into must-have products, and the iPhone Air is the clearest example of that in this launch," said Josh Gilbert, a market analyst at broker eToro.
The iPhone Air is Apple’s "boldest hardware move in years and sets a new benchmark in smartphone design. While we didn’t get the much-anticipated foldable iPhone, Apple’s strategy here is about deepening ecosystem loyalty and flexing its pricing power", he added.
'My Son'
Director: Christian Carion
Starring: James McAvoy, Claire Foy, Tom Cullen, Gary Lewis
Rating: 2/5
The biog
Year of birth: 1988
Place of birth: Baghdad
Education: PhD student and co-researcher at Greifswald University, Germany
Hobbies: Ping Pong, swimming, reading
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Last 10 NBA champions
2017: Golden State bt Cleveland 4-1
2016: Cleveland bt Golden State 4-3
2015: Golden State bt Cleveland 4-2
2014: San Antonio bt Miami 4-1
2013: Miami bt San Antonio 4-3
2012: Miami bt Oklahoma City 4-1
2011: Dallas bt Miami 4-2
2010: Los Angeles Lakers bt Boston 4-3
2009: Los Angeles Lakers bt Orlando 4-1
2008: Boston bt Los Angeles Lakers 4-2
If you go
The flights
The closest international airport for those travelling from the UAE is Denver, Colorado. British Airways (www.ba.com) flies from the UAE via London from Dh3,700 return, including taxes. From there, transfers can be arranged to the ranch or it’s a seven-hour drive. Alternatively, take an internal flight to the counties of Cody, Casper, or Billings
The stay
Red Reflet offers a series of packages, with prices varying depending on season. All meals and activities are included, with prices starting from US$2,218 (Dh7,150) per person for a minimum stay of three nights, including taxes. For more information, visit red-reflet-ranch.net.
What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
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Law%2041.9.4%20of%20men%E2%80%99s%20T20I%20playing%20conditions
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MATCH INFO
Burnley 0
Man City 3
Raheem Sterling 35', 49'
Ferran Torres 65'
Company%20Profile
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