[Editor’s Note: Follow Khaleej Times’ live blog for updates on the iPhone Duo launch in UAE.]
For Muhammad Ismailov, getting the Apple Duo meant flying to Dubai with his brothers, collecting seven phones and taking them back to his shop in Uzbekistan.
The Uzbek businessman arrived on Wednesday, October 21, and plans to leave in another three or four days. He said flights, accommodation and other costs for the trip would add up to around Dh8,000.
“I have a phone shop in Uzbekistan, so I will take the seven devices back and sell them there,” Ismailov said. “We came specifically looking for these phones because there is already a lot of interest in Apple Duo.”
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He was among several visitors from outside the UAE at Dubai Mall on launch day on October 23, with buyers from Russia, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan travelling in to secure devices before taking them home.
Saimon travelled from Russia with his mother and arrived in Dubai the day before the launch. The pair were waiting for their collection slot and planned to buy four phones before returning to Russia within days.
He said the trip was driven by the chance to get the device early, rather than wait for it to reach his home country.
“My mother and I came from Russia to Dubai mainly to buy Apple Duo,” Saimon said. “We are waiting for our slot now and plan to buy four phones today. I am excited to be among the first people from Russia to use it. It is Apple’s first foldable phone, so I wanted to get it as soon as possible.”
For Shaukath, from Kazakhstan, the trip was also a business decision. He had booked four Apple Duo phones on the first day and was still looking for more devices. He said his flight and stay in the UAE would cost around Dh3,500.
“I managed to book four, but I am still looking for more because demand back home is strong,” Rahimov said. “I expect to make a profit that could be around 10 times what I spent on travel and staying here. That is why coming to Dubai for the launch was worth it.”
The visitors were not all buying phones for a shop or customers. Abdullah, another buyer from Uzbekistan, had collected three Apple Duo devices for family members. At the mall, he was on a video call, holding up the phones for his brother and cousin to see.
“They are very excited, so I wanted to show them the phones straight away,” Abdullah said. “They wanted to see Apple’s new foldable phone as soon as possible, and I am happy that I could get them for them.”
He landed in Dubai the previous day and said he would return to Uzbekistan in two days with the devices.
From shop owners seeking stock to buyers waiting for a video call from Dubai to their families back home, the launch drew buyers for very different reasons. But each had travelled for the same advantage: an early chance to get Apple Duo before taking it beyond the UAE.
Source: Khaleej Times