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Apple Reportedly Building 'World's Largest' Apple Store in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Nabooly

Nabooly

macrumors 6502a
Aug 28, 2007
849
5
I'm actually surprised it took them this long....the Apple market is always in crazy demand over there. When the iPad first came out (16gb wifi) I bought it and went on vacation to Lebanon, and before I left I sold it on the street for $1000 :D I wasn't even planning on selling it, I was just using it at a restaurant in downtown.
 
sillypooh

sillypooh

macrumors regular
Jun 25, 2010
160
9
Nabooly said:
I'm actually surprised it took them this long....the Apple market is always in crazy demand over there. When the iPad first came out (16gb wifi) I bought it and went on vacation to Lebanon, and before I left I sold it on the street for $1000 :D I wasn't even planning on selling it, I was just using it at a restaurant in downtown.
Click to expand...

Bought mine in Beirut 2 weeks after the launch for $800. Some smart dude made a fortune selling them.

It's now my Plex remote.
 
Populism

Populism

macrumors regular
Jun 11, 2014
193
3,080
I will be impressed only if the children's iPad play area has an infinity pool.
 
DELLsFan

DELLsFan

macrumors 6502a
Jan 6, 2009
831
7
Big Mistake

It is unfortunate that Apple's profit trumps the physical safety and security of the employees and staff needed to make a store like this happen.

I think it's a big mistake to open an Apple store in Dubai.
 
LadyX

LadyX

macrumors 68020
Mar 4, 2012
2,374
252
Apple Reportedly Building 'World's Largest' Apple Store in Dubai, United Arab...

syklee26 said:
I live in Dubai and I highly doubt the new store would replace the Vox Cinema in the Mall of Emirates. The theater is doing quite well and the location doesn't quite fit either (right next to it is a large food court and the floor below has Virgin Megastore nearby). All of the electronic shops are toward the east side of the Mall, and recently Jumbo Electronics went out of business I think. So that could be the potential new store. Otherwise, I wonder where that "biggest store in the world" could be because Vox Cinema itself isn't even that big.

Another fact to think about is that in the Mall of Emirates there is already an Apple authorized store. I wonder what will happen to that store (although hardly anyone purchases from that store based on what I have seen)
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Are you referring to iStyle? iStyle is just an authorized distributor. Not an official Apple store.

Imagine if they close Kinokuniya in Dubai Mall and they open the Apple store in its place?? That bookstore is huge. It would be massive!

ramraid said:
Could it be located in the area of Borders book shop next to the Vox Cinema? That closed down a few weeks ago for renovation and is not due to open until 2015. I passed MOE today on the metro, and it looks like there is some construction going on in that general area on the outside. Maybe that part of the mall is being extended?



Anyway good news if UAE is finally going to get a proper apple store :)
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jonnyb

jonnyb

macrumors 65816
Jan 21, 2005
1,299
1,469
Inverness, Scotland
As we wonder about Leptis Magna now, I wonder what future archaeologists will guess about what these buildings were for in a couple of thousand years' time.
 
C

ChrisCW11

macrumors 65816
Jul 21, 2011
1,037
1,433
What is the point?

The design of any Apple Store is to have a few tables with a few products on each of them. I don't understand the point of building the biggest Apple store when all it is going to contain are tables showing the same few products that every other Apple store sells. Apple only sells 10 products and a few variations of each. How much more room do you need for screen protectors and cases? They should just build an automated kiosk and get it over with.

But then again there is no point to Dubai other than the opulent spending of money on prestige projects, so carry on then. Why not also make it the world's tallest Apple Store and kill two birds...
 
A

ani4ani

Cancelled
May 4, 2012
1,703
1,537
samplane123 said:
The midlands needs a new store, for the size of the urban area the two stores we have are ridiculously small :(
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Yep....must be hard displaying all those Apples products, it's not like you wander into an Apple store and wonder what you might discover.
 
smirking

smirking

macrumors 68040
Aug 31, 2003
3,744
3,718
Silicon Valley
RF9 said:
Meanwhile the one closest to my house at a mall is supposedly the worlds smallest Apple store. With 8-12 employees in it there is barely any room or a few customers.

https://www.apple.com/retail/oakridge/
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Wow, I didn't realize that such tiny ones exist. I feel compelled to drop by there just to see it. I don't live too far from it.

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TouchMint.com said:
Gotta go where the money is!
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It's in Dubai for more than one reason. It's not just a store for Quataris (??). It's probably a store for people all throughout the region who have money and live in a country where there are no Apple stores for economic and sometimes political reasons.
 
ricci

ricci

macrumors 6502
Aug 21, 2012
259
13
NYC
Being a New Yorker where we do everything big, this place is doing everything new and bigger! No surprises here! If you've haven't been their just look it up! Just hope they get the labor problem under control when they build this thing!
 
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CB1234

CB1234

macrumors 6502a
Sep 20, 2012
784
491
Dubai, UAE
LadyX said:
Imagine if they close Kinokuniya in Dubai Mall and they open the Apple store in its place?? That bookstore is huge. It would be massive!
Click to expand...



NOOOOOO. Leave Kinokuniya alone. It's one of the best book shop ever.... My kids love it....

If they do open in MOE, then I imagine there will be a stampede in one of the world's busiest and most crowded shopping mall !!

I hope they buy a piece of desert and build on it instead...
 
CB1234

CB1234

macrumors 6502a
Sep 20, 2012
784
491
Dubai, UAE
smirking said:
It's in Dubai for more than one reason. It's not just a store for Quataris (??). It's probably a store for people all throughout the region who have money and live in a country where there are no Apple stores for economic and sometimes political reasons.
Click to expand...


You got it in one... A lot of people come to Dubai from neighbouring countries and also rich people from Africa/Asia to Dubai, where a lot of European/American shops do not exist. They are the ones who would be buying from this store...

On a footnote, the Telecommunications Authority of UAE has blocked FaceTime on iPhones and iPads, on some religious pretext or another. My iPhone which I bought it through du has FaceTime blocked. My iPad which I bought from UK has FaceTime working. I wonder with opening of the official Apple store, will it mean removing the FaceTime block...

Also people talking about turbans/ghutra's and burqa's need a visit to Dubai !! You will be hard pressed to find local people wearing traditional dress, working in stores. Except for Banks and Government institutions, you won't find many places where you would see locals working. The Emirati population is less then 10% of the entire population !!!

Also the Emiratis in general are extremely well educated (either UK/US), very polite, very gentle and helpful. I base my opinion on a few number of local people that I personally know and they have been nothing but extremely helpful, humble and respectful.
 
LadyX

LadyX

macrumors 68020
Mar 4, 2012
2,374
252
Apple Reportedly Building 'World's Largest' Apple Store in Dubai, United Arab...

CB1234 said:
You got it in one... A lot of people come to Dubai from neighbouring countries and also rich people from Africa/Asia to Dubai, where a lot of European/American shops do not exist. They are the ones who would be buying from this store...



On a footnote, the Telecommunications Authority of UAE has blocked FaceTime on iPhones and iPads, on some religious pretext or another. My iPhone which I bought it through du has FaceTime blocked. My iPad which I bought from UK has FaceTime working. I wonder with opening of the official Apple store, will it mean removing the FaceTime block...



Also people talking about turbans/ghutra's and burqa's need a visit to Dubai !! You will be hard pressed to find local people wearing traditional dress, working in stores. Except for Banks and Government institutions, you won't find many places where you would see locals working. The Emirati population is less then 10% of the entire population !!!



Also the Emiratis in general are extremely well educated (either UK/US), very polite, very gentle and helpful. I base my opinion on a few number of local people that I personally know and they have been nothing but extremely helpful, humble and respectful.
Click to expand...


True. You won't find an Emirati salesperson, I've seen a few in iStyle and Virgin Megastore only. Emiratis prefer working in the banking sector, private sector firms, and government organizations.

About FaceTime, I don't think opening an Apple store will make a difference. I think it'll still be blocked.
 
V

vladi

macrumors 6502a
Jan 30, 2010
961
576
RoyalElephant said:
Oh yeah Apple, Dubai.

There's a couple big empty buildings on Grafton Street in Dublin, Ireland.

Apple. Please..... we need a store. There's a lot of rich people in this country and a lot of rich people visit that area of the city.

Apple, I know read these posts,
I will be really insulted if you do major expansion in the UAE without putting at least one retail store in the Republic Of Ireland, the country you have your EU HQ in should also have a big store.

I'm begging you, I want a store! I need a store! I'm sick having to go up to Belfast for my AppleCare. I had to go twice last year.

I know you have a send in service but it's terrible.
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Apple like many other conglomerates need your Ireland just for taxing purposes. They are not interested in your country as a market.
 
V

vito

macrumors 6502a
Apr 4, 2006
687
49
Manchester, UK
Tiger8 said:
Sunnah M'akkadah does not mean confirmed tradition. Sunnah means what the prophet Mohammed recommended to be done, it's not tradition.

That said, turban is not a tradtioanal 'muslim' clothing, it's much much more common in India than Middle East.
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Pretty much this. Mostly seen across the Asian subcontinent and in certain orders of Islam e.g. factions of Sunni and Shia etc certainly not in the UAE, or at least by native local folk.

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Carlanga said:
First, I added a t by mistake writing on my phone, cry me a river gosh...
Second, muslims do wear it and is considered in Islam a Sunnah Mu'akkadah (Confirmed Tradition) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turban#Islam
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Yep, quoting Wikipedia makes you an expert of Islamic headgear :rolleyes:
 
T

Tech198

Cancelled
Mar 21, 2011
15,915
2,151
wow...neat...


My uncle worked on the huge tower.. the one in the move "Skyfall"

But this,.....

I could spend all day in this Apple store...

(and all night too) Well, i better pack my bags.
 
LadyX

LadyX

macrumors 68020
Mar 4, 2012
2,374
252
Tech198 said:
wow...neat...


My uncle worked on the huge tower.. the one in the move "Skyfall"

But this,.....

I could spend all day in this Apple store...

(and all night too) Well, i better pack my bags.
Click to expand...


That tower you're referring to is called Burj Khalifa ;)
 
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