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Original poster
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Following his visit to Ireland on Friday, Apple CEO Tim Cook has been spotted in the United Arab Emirates this weekend, as highlighted by tbreak media. Cook posed for photos at Apple reseller Virgin Megastore at the Al Wahdi Mall in Abu Dhabi yesterday, while several photos from today place him in Dubai at the massive Dubai Mall.

tim_cook_abu_dhabi.jpg

The reason for Cook's visit is unknown, but Apple users in the region are unsurprisingly speculating that he may be meeting with relevant parties about the possibility of an Apple retail store. MacRumors received an unconfirmed tip last year claiming that Apple was making plans to open a major store at The Galleria in Sowwah Square in Abu Dhabi, a luxury mall that opened late last year, but no additional reports of such a project have yet surfaced. The source claimed that the store would not open for several years and that it could arrive as the world's largest Apple retail store.

Alternatively and much less interestingly, Cook may simply be visiting to check up on the company's existing reseller network and maintain relationships with government officials in the region.

Update: Khaleej Times reports that Cook met with UAE Prime Minister Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and other officials today.
Shaikh Mohammed and Cook discussed an array of issues regarding future of the IT sector in the backdrop of international transformations and the sector’s role in developing and advancing education.
cook_shaikh_mohammed_uae.jpg
Cook with UAE Prime Minister Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum


Article Link: Tim Cook Visits United Arab Emirates Amid Rumors of Apple Retail Store Plans
 
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iphonehype

macrumors 65816
Sep 14, 2012
1,255
1,044
Surprised it wasn't any earlier those Arabs will pay cash and Apple will be making a killing in a tax free country!
 

tbrand7

macrumors 6502
Feb 8, 2013
265
0
New York
Is it me, or does Tim always seem like he's out of the office in Cupertino and somewhere else? Shouldn't he be in the office as much as possible to work on products instead of traveling to nyc to meet with investors and things along those lines?
 

Abazigal

Contributor
Jul 18, 2011
19,457
21,847
Singapore
Is it me, or does Tim always seem like he's out of the office in Cupertino and somewhere else? Shouldn't he be in the office as much as possible to work on products instead of traveling to nyc to meet with investors and things along those lines?

Why should he? Tim doesn't strike me as the product visionary type of guy Steve was. He's likely dead weight in the research lab. He probably delegates them to his band of merry men, is kept updated via email, and travels around the world doing what he does best - securing new supply chains and inking fresh business deals. You know, the sort of stuff which ensures that people keeping buying Apple products and filling their coffers. :D
 

brendu

Cancelled
Apr 23, 2009
2,472
2,703
Is it me, or does Tim always seem like he's out of the office in Cupertino and somewhere else? Shouldn't he be in the office as much as possible to work on products instead of traveling to nyc to meet with investors and things along those lines?

Tim doesn't work on products. That's not the type of exec he is. The other executives like Jony take care of that.
 

Tankmaze

macrumors 68000
Mar 7, 2012
1,707
351
My cousin bought an ipad when we were boarding in dubai. and when he got home and set up the ipad, it doesn't have facetime !! I've googled it and in fact that ios on the middle east have facetime uninstalled / removed and no way to have facetime unless he jailbreak. which is sucks.
 

TheJae

macrumors regular
Mar 8, 2008
142
28
HKG
My cousin bought an ipad when we were boarding in dubai. and when he got home and set up the ipad, it doesn't have facetime !! I've googled it and in fact that ios on the middle east have facetime uninstalled / removed and no way to have facetime unless he jailbreak. which is sucks.

He could get it replaced at the genius bar, they have been very lenient with iphone damages, i dont see why they wont replace a fully functional unit.
 

Abazigal

Contributor
Jul 18, 2011
19,457
21,847
Singapore
He could get it replaced at the genius bar, they have been very lenient with iphone damages, i dont see why they wont replace a fully functional unit.

Agreed. Since you are not residing in Dubai, there is little reason why it shouldn't be replaced, and Apple is generally quite permissive with this sort of thing.
 

SusanK

macrumors 68000
Oct 9, 2012
1,676
2,655
Is it me, or does Tim always seem like he's out of the office in Cupertino and somewhere else? Shouldn't he be in the office as much as possible to work on products instead of traveling to nyc to meet with investors and things along those lines?


He's "not a product guy". Apple should send him on a lifetime world tour and hire a CEO.
 

Chupa Chupa

macrumors G5
Jul 16, 2002
14,835
7,396
He's "not a product guy". Apple should send him on a lifetime world tour and hire a CEO.

Best I can tell he isn't much of a "logistics guy" or "big picture guy" either. I know Steve Jobs saw something in him but Cook hasn't let us know what that is yet. He's not even much of a "care taker guy," though I understand some people here admire him because Apple still takes in way more per quarter than they'll see in an lifetime, as if that was a usable metric.
 

Tankmaze

macrumors 68000
Mar 7, 2012
1,707
351
He could get it replaced at the genius bar, they have been very lenient with iphone damages, i dont see why they wont replace a fully functional unit.

didn't know that, will tell my cousin to swap it in the apple store.

but still, I was there when he bought it in the duty free shop. at least the sales guy should have warn us that this version won't have facetime.
 

HenryDJP

Suspended
Nov 25, 2012
5,084
843
United States
Surprised it wasn't any earlier those Arabs will pay cash and Apple will be making a killing in a tax free country!

Pretty obvious you know little about business.

Is it me, or does Tim always seem like he's out of the office in Cupertino and somewhere else? Shouldn't he be in the office as much as possible to work on products instead of traveling to nyc to meet with investors and things along those lines?

Yes it's you, and that's exactly why you are not the CEO of Apple. :rolleyes:
 

Rogifan

macrumors Penryn
Nov 14, 2011
24,084
31,015
Best I can tell he isn't much of a "logistics guy" or "big picture guy" either. I know Steve Jobs saw something in him but Cook hasn't let us know what that is yet. He's not even much of a "care taker guy," though I understand some people here admire him because Apple still takes in way more per quarter than they'll see in an lifetime, as if that was a usable metric.

So what is a usable metric to you?
 

Rogifan

macrumors Penryn
Nov 14, 2011
24,084
31,015
He's "not a product guy". Apple should send him on a lifetime world tour and hire a CEO.

So basically you're saying Steve was horrible at succession planning the board should never have allowed him to pick Apple's next CEO.
 

Constable Odo

macrumors 6502
Mar 28, 2008
483
268
Why should he? Tim doesn't strike me as the product visionary type of guy Steve was. He's likely dead weight in the research lab. He probably delegates them to his band of merry men, is kept updated via email, and travels around the world doing what he does best - securing new supply chains and inking fresh business deals. You know, the sort of stuff which ensures that people keeping buying Apple products and filling their coffers. :D

:confused: From what I gather, Tim Cook is dead weight everywhere. They had said he was some sort of supply-chain genius but I'm always seeing how product supply is completely falling behind demand for both the iPhone and new Mac Pro. He's definitely dead weight to the company. Apple is totally getting trounced by Samsung when it comes to moving products. Apple needs to build some huge robotic factories that spit iDevices out at mach speed. The news media says that every business deal Tim Cook makes is going to be a massive failure because almost no one can afford Apple products. So that isn't helping very much, either. Another quarter and Apple falls into an even deeper value abyss. Dammit! Apple has become a joke of a tech company scorned by the computer industry and Wall Street. :(
 

Wayfarer

macrumors 65816
Jun 15, 2007
1,225
601
Dat new iMac doe.

(yes I know it's the 2012 model in the pic, but I'm in the market for one and it's still sexy as ever!) :p
 

Lesser Evets

macrumors 68040
Jan 7, 2006
3,527
1,294
Best I can tell he isn't much of a "logistics guy" or "big picture guy" either. I know Steve Jobs saw something in him but Cook hasn't let us know what that is yet. He's not even much of a "care taker guy," ...

Not even a "great orator" guy ... he's just a got-lucky guy. Maybe just a guy.

2.5 years later and we are waiting for Tim to show us something more than a belated update to the MacPro. He's not the "crack the whip" guy which Jobs was. Jobs was fire under everyone's collective asses.
 

AppleScruff1

macrumors G4
Feb 10, 2011
10,026
2,949
After Jobs, listening to Tim talk is like watching grass grow or paint drying. Even his pictures are boring. :D
 
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