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Dubai: The iPhone 3G has finally arrived in the UAE, but it will set you back a whopping Dh8,750. That's because retailers have a virtual monopoly over its sale since the phone hasn't been officially launched yet.
A gadget store at Mall of the Emirates is selling the much awaited iPhone 3G for Dh8,750, "down from Dh9,000 from when we first brought it", according to one of the salespeople.
That's eight times its retail price in the United States, and more than the cost of the stylishly thin Macbook Air that was launched by Apple recently.
But the price, felt the vendor, is not so unreasonable. "It's selling. We brought seven units four days ago and three are gone already. They were all bought by the same person. We'll order some more when we run out of stock."
The salesperson said the store had not promoted the sale of the phone and was relying solely on word of mouth. A group of onlookers had gathered around the salesperson to see the gadget. "We're the only store in Dubai to carry this phone."
A hacked version of the first iPhone was made available through a number of stores in the UAE.
The hack made it possible to use the phone with networks other than those it was locked to, but rendered the warranty void. Hacked units of the first version of the iPhone retailed for significantly less than the new one, ranging between Dh2,000 and Dh3,000.
The salesperson said that the price of the unlocked 3G iPhone was justified. "This phone is not hacked, it's unlocked by Apple, so the warranty is valid," he said. "In buying this, we have paid a big fee to get it unlocked."
Arabian Business Machines, Apple's regional distributor, did not confirm or deny the claim about the warranty's validity, saying the company does not comment on information from third parties.
The new phone is also available on regional auction site Souq.com, where locked versions are going for more than Dh5,000.
Despite having sold around 1,000 hacked units of the first version of the iPhone, Virgin Megastore, an authorised Apple retailer, is not selling the iPhone 3G.
It is unclear when the iPhone will be launched officially in the UAE. Gulf News learned earlier this year that etisalat was interested in bringing the phone exclusively to the UAE, but the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) forbids such agreements for the sake of competition. Until Apple decides to make the iPhone available through all UAE operators, said TRA, it will not be launched in the UAE.
Lifestyle
Spend the money
Gulf News asked Dubai residents what they would do with Dh8,750. Here's a list of alternative ways to spend it:
- Go to the United States, stay for a couple of nights and buy the 3G iPhone (though the unlocked version wouldn't work here)
- One return ticket to New York City on the inaugural Emirates A380 flight
- Nine months' salary for a construction worker
- Three years of Salik, twice a day
- High end, big-screen LCD TV
- Three years of a cell phone bill
- One month's rent for a luxury one-bedroom apartment
- 18 pairs of designer glasses
- 87 gold-class cinema tickets
- Three pairs of Jimmy Choo shoes
- A dinner for two at one of Dubai's most expensive restaurants for one week
- An Omega watch
- A week in a five star hotel, Dubai
Considering the hype surrounding the iPhone, do you think its price is justified? Do you think the exorbitant price would discourage potential customers from buying the iPhone? Would you much rather spend the money on buying something else? Tell us at letter2editor@gulfnews.com
Your comments
This is just another example of vendors in Dubai, just trying to cash in on the latest technology. I would suggest everyone should wait for the free unlock software coming soon from the iPhone Devteam, and not pay these rip off prices for the 3G iPhone.
David Butler
Dubai,,UAE
Posted: July 31, 2008, 05:43
Paying around 8 times the value of anything cannot be justified. In comparison to the old iPhone, its supposed to be "half the price, twice the speed". It is certainly twice the speed, but the price is ridiculous. Feature-wise, the iPhone 3g does have more features in a slightly smaller package but 8000+ Dhs does not cover its value. With that money, one can buy a Nokia Communicator and a HTC Mobile Computer!
Ihab Mohamed
Dubai,United Arab Emirates
Posted: July 31, 2008, 03:40
It is almost Pakistani 1,70,000.00 Rupees! The way every thing is getting expensive I think that I can live a luxurious life in my Pakistani home - with all the facilities switched on for about 2 and a half months, paying the salaries of my servants, driver, security guard and the utility bills. It is useless to spend this much money on mobile phones.
Usman
Dubai,UAE
Posted: July 31, 2008, 01:59
I would rather spend the money on the first generation iphone as there is not much difference except faster 3G web browsing, MS Exchange support and GPS. I don't use any of the new features as 3G support is too expensive in UAE, don't use MS Exchange and GPS support is not so good. All software features are available to both 1st and 2nd generation phones. 1st generation phones are now cheaper.
Siddiq Patel
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: July 31, 2008, 01:44
3 - 4 days stay to London for holidays! And if I still save, I'll shop..
Asma
Dubai,UAE
Posted: July 31, 2008, 01:17
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