Apple is back. It has certainly taken quite some time for the Middle East to feel the seemingly unstoppable energy of Apple's global resurgence. But now, driven by demand for the iPod, as well as its computers, the Apple brand is ready to make an impact in the region.
Combine that with Jordan's ever expanding retail revolution and it becomes clear why, on Sunday, Amman will witness the opening of its first major Apple Centre on Wakalat Street in the Sweifieh shopping district.
Designed to resemble the famed Apple Stores that Apple directly runs in the US, Canada, Japan and the UK, the opening of the centre, called iSystem, will signal the return of Apple's brand in a strong manner to the Jordanian market. A retail area of 280 square meters will make iSystem the largest Apple-dedicated store in the Middle East, the owners claim.
Apple computers have nearly disappeared from Jordan's public consciousness in the past 15 years. In the late 80s and early 90s the Apple logo stood proudly on Commodore Street in Shmeisani, as Jordanian IT pioneers like Karim Kawar (now Jordan's ambassador in Washington) and Basil Tutunji, were energetically selling Apple's hardware to companies and individuals who were getting introduced to the desktop publishing revolution of that time.
But Apple's expensive prices and the onslaught of cheaper PC alternatives gradually wiped out Apple presence in the local market. Today most people think that only graphic designers use Apple.
"We want to change the perception about Apple's products. They are not just for designers. The iPod is part of today's teenagers' digital lifestyle and the retail business is the future," says Marwan Ziadat, Jordan's country manager of Grapheast whose company is partnering up with Modern System, an authorised Apple reseller, to launch the iSystem Apple Centre....
