Apple has initiated its retail presence in Saudi Arabia with a website and mobile application as it plans a major expansion in the kingdom.
The website and iPhone app are now live, and give consumers in the Arab world's biggest economy the full range of Apple products, the California-based company said on Tuesday.
It is also the first time Apple has offered direct service and support in Arabic.
Apple's array of services in Saudi Arabia will include dedicated support teams, flexible payment options, a trade-in programme, free engraving and special pricing for customers in the education sector.
Retail channels will offer customers "a new way to explore and shop", said Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s senior vice president of retail and people.
The company’s physical presence remains vital to its overall retail strategy, despite the popularity of online shopping channels.
From its first shops that opened in the US states of Virginia and California in 2001, Apple now has a network of 535 outlets across 27 countries and territories, according to the company's website.
Apple first revealed plans to expand in Saudi Arabia in December, planning several stores including an "iconic" outlet in the historic city of Diriyah, as it increases its regional presence.
Tuesday's statement said Apple is in the "initial stages" of planning to open the store in Diriyah, a Unesco World Heritage Site.
In 2021, it opened the region's first Apple Developer Academy in the kingdom. Two students from the programme emerged as global winners in 2024.
The company also launched its latest hearing aid and hearing test services in March, offering residents in the kingdom free access to the technology.
The company first entered the Gulf in 2011 when it opened its online store in the UAE. It has since opened four Apple Stores in the Emirates, two each in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
A fifth outlet is scheduled to open in Al Ain this year as part of Apple's wider investments in the UAE that have totalled Dh6 billion ($1.6 billion) in the past five years, the company says.
Aside from Saudi Arabia and the UAE, Turkey is the only country in the Middle East and North Africa region in which Apple has a retail presence.
