The UAE’s grey market is expected to offer Apple’s new iPhone 6S and 6S Plus within two weeks, with retailers uncertain whether sales will match those of its predecessor devices.
The company announced the launch of the new handsets at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco yesterday, together with the iPad Pro and a new version of its Apple TV service.
Pre-orders for the new phones, priced between US$549 to $749, begin in the United States on Saturday, and the devices will go on sale on September 25.
An Apple spokeswoman declined to say when the new handsets would be officially made available in the UAE.
But retailers on Abu Dhabi’s Defence Road, home to dozens of mobile phone shops, said they expected the devices to be available here before the end of the month.
“People have been asking when we’re going to sell the iPhone 6S for at least the past 10 days,” said one retailer, who asked not to be named.
“I expect we will get it a day or two after it becomes available in the UK and the US.”
The iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus retain the form factor of last year’s devices, with an upgraded 12 megapixel camera and a new 3D touch technology that can sense and react to multiple pressure levels.
UAE customers last year rushed to buy iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, attracted in particular by their larger screens, paying premiums of more than Dh1,000 for the privilege.
Whether they will do so this time around remains an open question, said Ashish Panjabi, the chief operating officer at Jacky’s Electronics.
“The iPhone 6 sold very well because people wanted bigger devices. It will be interesting to see whether they will be tempted this time around by more internal upgrades.
“Apple enthusiasts and more techy consumers will be tempted, but with the original iPhone 6 still on sale and at a lower price, we will see how the new devices do.”
Apple’s share of the global smartphone market rose to 14.1 per cent during the second quarter of the year, up from 11.7 per cent in the same period last year, according to the industry analysts IDC.
The company is planning to launch its first Apple Store in Dubai’s Mall of the Emirates within the next few months, with stores in The Dubai Mall and in Abu Dhabi also in the works.
Apple’s new Apple TV set top box, which features voice control and its own App Store, will go on sale in the US last next month, starting at $149. The new iPad Pro, which features a 12.7 inch display, will launch in November and will be available from $799.
jeverington@thenational.ae
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