Apple has announced that its first two retail stores in the Middle East will open in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, the two most populous cities in the United Arab Emirates, on Thursday, October 29. The nearest Apple Stores to the UAE are currently located several hours away in Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey.

yasmall_hero
The new Apple Store in Dubai will be located at the Mall of the Emirates, and will celebrate its grand opening at 4:00 PM local time, while the Abu Dhabi store will be located inside Yas Mall and hold its grand opening three hours later at 7:00 PM local time. Each store will open at 10 AM and close between 10 PM and midnight local time.

Apple has been rumored to be constructing the "world's largest" Apple Store in Dubai since August 2014, and began hiring for the upcoming UAE store that same month. Apple CEO Tim Cook visited the UAE in February 2014 to discuss the future of the IT sector with Prime Minister Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and other officials.

malloftheemirates_hero
Apple Watch will be available in Saudi Arabia and the UAE on October 22 as part of the wrist-worn device's eighth launch wave, a week in advance of both store openings. In the UAE, pricing for the Apple Watch Sport will start at 1,399 dirhams for the 38mm model, which is equivalent to approximately $380 in U.S. dollars.

Both new Apple Stores will provide traditional services such as the Genius Bar, Events, Workshops and Personal Setup.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Top Rated Comments

springsup Avatar
110 months ago
If I were Apple I would have no dealings or sell my products to any country in the Middle East that are repressive to woman or gay people.
If Tim Cook is so anament about gay rights and woman's rights Apple should ban all sales of products and goods !!
I'm so sick of liberal elitist that don't put there money where there mouth is !!
Jobs would have never approved of this deal !!
It's not his company. He runs it, but he can be fired if he isn't doing what the shareholders want. He can't just inject his personal opinions in when it comes to who the company does business with. That's absolutely not what being the CEO of the world's largest corporation is all about.

Also, what good would it do? They would still get Apple's products, or competitor's product which does the same function, one way or another. Besides, women are able to buy and use Apple's products - the same products women in the rest of the world have access to - for their education, enjoyment, whatever. Their products aren't specifically prohibited from certain groups, otherwise they might have more to say on the matter.

I don't agree that Apple withholding sales from the ME would bring about any positive change there in those areas at all. Even if the entire technology industry followed suit and they were reduced to using inferior technology (or privately importing), it would just feel like bullying and snobbishness by foreigners who don't share their culture or understand their religion. You don't make change in foreign places; that's not your business. However, if you give them the right tools and information, you can help them make changes of their own accord. It needs to come from home. They need to realise for themselves why these changes are important and what benefits it has for their society. You can't impose that level of understanding on people.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jacquesvw Avatar
110 months ago
.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mactactic Avatar
110 months ago
If I were Apple I would have no dealings or sell my products to any country in the Middle East that are repressive to woman or gay people.
If Tim Cook is so anament about gay rights and woman's rights Apple should ban all sales of products and goods !!
I'm so sick of liberal elitist that don't put there money where there mouth is !!
Jobs would have never approved of this deal !!
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mrgraff Avatar
110 months ago
Ugh, it's unfortunate that Apple is giving in to these Stone Age barbarians but I guess money trumps values.
I can't even imagine living in a country with legally-imposed gender-specific areas…

Attachment Image
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
taedouni Avatar
110 months ago
If I were Apple I would have no dealings or sell my products to any country in the Middle East that are repressive to woman or gay people.
If Tim Cook is so anament about gay rights and woman's rights Apple should ban all sales of products and goods !!
I'm so sick of liberal elitist that don't put there money where there mouth is !!
Jobs would have never approved of this deal !!
Doesn't Apple have stores in Russia? Last time I checked, being a homosexual in Russia was pretty rough. Anyway, Apple has been selling to middle east countries for years (online store). Apple is a corporation that relies on money. Hell, Apple has stores in China (one of the most oppressive countries).

If you are really concerned about human rights in the middle east, then you should urge the government to stop buying oil from the middle east (which I am all for).
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Armstrong1889 Avatar
110 months ago
They offer "Women Only" workshops !!

Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 16 Camera Lozenge 2 Perspective Gray

Five Key Upgrades Coming to iPhone 16

Friday March 15, 2024 1:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone is Apple's top-selling product, and it gets an update every year. In 2024, we're expecting the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro lineup, with an arguably more interesting feature set than we got with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Capture Button All four iPhone 16 models are set to get a whole new button, which will be...
When To Expect New iPads Feature 1

Apple to Announce New iPads on March 26, Rumors Claim

Monday March 18, 2024 4:02 am PDT by
Apple is widely expected to release new iPad Air and OLED iPad Pro models in the next few weeks. According to new rumors coming out of Asia, the company will announce its new iPads on Tuesday, March 26. Chinese leaker Instant Digital on Weibo this morning 日发布%23">claimed that the date will see some sort of announcement from Apple related to new iPads, but stopped short of calling it an...
airpods 3 orange

Two New AirPods 4 Models Expected to Launch in September or October

Sunday March 17, 2024 7:56 am PDT by
Apple suppliers will begin production of two new fourth-generation AirPods models in May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Based on this production timeframe, he expects the headphones to be released in September or October. Gurman expects both fourth-generation AirPods models to feature a new design with better fit, improved sound quality, and an updated charging case with a USB-C...
iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 Expected to Depreciate Heavily

Tuesday March 12, 2024 9:04 am PDT by
Resale value trends suggest the iPhone SE 4 may not hold its value as well as Apple's flagship models, according to SellCell. According to the report, Apple's iPhone SE models have historically depreciated much more rapidly than the company's more premium offerings. The third-generation iPhone SE, which launched in March 2022, experienced a significant drop in resale value, losing 42.6%...
General iOS 17 Feature Orange Purple

iOS 17.4.1 Update for iPhone is Imminent

Monday March 18, 2024 5:27 am PDT by
iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 should be released within the next few days, with a build number of 21E235, according to a source with a proven track record. MacRumors previously reported that Apple was internally testing iOS 17.4.1. As a minor update for the iPhone, it will likely address software bugs and/or security vulnerabilities. It is unclear if the update will include any other changes. ...
M3 iPad Feature 3

New iPads Likely to Begin Shipping in April

Monday March 18, 2024 9:52 am PDT by
Apple's new iPad Pro models with OLED displays will likely begin shipping to customers in April, according to information shared today by Ross Young, CEO of display industry research firm Display Supply Chain Consultants. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman also said the new iPad Pro models might not ship until "deeper" into April in his Power On newsletter on Sunday:I've repeatedly said that new...
iOS 17 Passkey With Apple ACCOUNT Feature

'Apple ID' Expected to Change to 'Apple Account' Starting With iOS 18

Sunday March 17, 2024 7:13 am PDT by
MacRumors was first to report that Apple was planning to rebrand "Apple ID" to "Apple Account" across its software platforms and websites like iCloud.com as early as this year, and now Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has corroborated this change. A mockup of the new Apple Account branding In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the new "Apple Account" branding will start to be used later this...