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
122 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
122 months ago
.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mactactic Avatar
122 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
122 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
122 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
122 months ago
They offer "Women Only" workshops !!

Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

2007 iPhone

Apple Discontinuing This 18-Year-Old iPhone Feature

Saturday February 8, 2025 3:51 pm PST by
The end of an 18-year era is on the horizon for the iPhone. Apple reportedly plans to announce a new iPhone SE as soon as next week, and the device is expected to feature a full-screen design with Face ID, instead of a Touch ID home button. That means Apple will no longer sell any new iPhone models with a home button, for the first time since the original iPhone launched. The home button...
oppo find n5 fingers

World's Thinnest Foldable Phone Launches Next Week

Monday February 10, 2025 3:05 am PST by
Oppo has confirmed a February 20 global launch for its Find N5, which the company claims is the world's thinnest device in the foldable phone category. The phone is expected to be re-branded as the OnePlus Open 2 in the US. The Chinese vendor has been teasing the device in the last few weeks, touting its waterproofing and nearly invisible display crease, and highlighting its thinness by compa...
m2 macbook air blue

M4 MacBook Air Release Continues to Appear Imminent

Monday February 10, 2025 10:56 am PST by
There continue to be signs of a new MacBook Air with an M4 chip, indicating that we could see the machine launch in the not too distant future. A private account on X today shared the identifiers that the MacBook Air will use, and those identifiers correspond to the M4 chip. According to the source, both the 13-inch MacBook Air and the 15-inch MacBook Air will be equipped with Apple's...
sequoia

Apple Releases macOS Sequoia 15.3.1

Monday February 10, 2025 10:11 am PST by
Apple today released macOS Sequoia 15.3.1, a minor update to the macOS Sequoia operating system that came out last September. macOS 15.3.1 comes a few weeks after the launch of macOS Sequoia 15.3. Mac users can download the ‌‌‌macOS Sequoia‌‌‌ update through the Software Update section of System Settings. Apple has also released macOS 13.7.4 and macOS 14.7.4 for those who are...
watchOS 11 Thumb 2 1

Apple Releases watchOS 11.3.1

Monday February 10, 2025 10:04 am PST by
Apple today released watchOS 11.3.1, a minor update to the operating system that runs on the Apple Watch. watchOS 11.3.1 is compatible with the Apple Watch Series 6 and later, all Apple Watch Ultra models, and the Apple Watch SE 2. watchOS 11.3.1 can be downloaded by opening up the Apple Watch app and going to General > Software Update. To install the new software, the Apple Watch needs to...
apple silicon mac lineup 2024 feature purple

Apple Increases Mac Trade-In Values for a Limited Time

Sunday February 9, 2025 3:53 pm PST by
Apple today increased its estimated trade-in values for select Mac models in the United States, with the full changes outlined below. Apple says the extra trade-in credit for select Macs is available with the purchase of an eligible new Apple device through April 2. The trade-in values increased by between $10 and $50. Model New Value Old Value MacBook Pro Up to $925 ...
Powerbeats Pro 2 Orange

Powerbeats Pro 2 Given to Customer Early, Expected to Debut Tomorrow

Monday February 10, 2025 7:42 am PST by
Apple's long-awaited Powerbeats Pro 2 are finally expected to be announced this Tuesday. Ahead of time, one lucky Walmart customer was able to get their hands on the earbuds early, according to a since-deleted Reddit post over the weekend. A leaked image of the Powerbeats Pro 2 in Electric Orange "My local Walmart had them in the cage," the Reddit user explained. "I asked if I can buy them...
iOS 18

Apple Releases iOS 18.3.1 With Bug Fixes

Monday February 10, 2025 10:09 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 18.3.1 and iPadOS 18.3.1, minor updates for the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems that came out last September. iOS 18.3.1 comes two weeks after Apple released iOS 18.3. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Apple has also released iPadOS 17.7.5 for those still running...