Apple iPhone 6 handsets started to hit the shelves yesterday at a premium of as much as Dh3,500 on their official launch prices next week.
Dubai and Abu Dhabi-based independent phone shops took delivery of the much-coveted new mobiles yesterday afternoon, about 24 hours after their launch in the US and other markets.
The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus will be officially launched in the UAE this coming Saturday.
For those Apple fans who can't wait that long, an iPhone 6 with a 4.7-inch screen and 16GB of internal memory can be bought for about Dh4,500 at grey market retailers, a mark-up of more than 70 per cent on Apple's recommended retail price of Dh2,599.
Those wanting to get their hands on the 5.5-inch screened iPhone 6 Plus will have to hold their breath and shell out as much as Dh6,599, more than double the recommended retail price of Dh2,999.
“We’ve been seeing excellent demand from retailers, as you always see for Apple products,” said Muhammad Mudasir, director of Techtronics, a Dubai-based wholesaler which delivered iPhone 6 shipments to a number of retailers in the capital yesterday.
Pre-orders for gold-coloured handsets were noticeably higher than those for silver and space grey, retailers said.
Demand for the new devices among grey market retailers was higher than for previous iPhone models, with customers keen to get their hands on the big-screen devices, he said.
“On a scale of one to 10 where 10 is the craziest demand, it was about an 8 for the launch of both the iPhone 5 and 5S. For the iPhone 6 and 6 plus I’d say it’s a 9.5.”
The high-end 128GB versions of the new phones had proved most popular with retailers, with the entire stock of 128GB models from Techtronics’ first shipment snapped up before lunchtime, said Mr Mudasir,
Reports suggest that shoppers from around the region flew to Dubai at the weekend to be among the first to get their hands on the new devices.
The new iPhones are set to be launched by traditional retailers on Saturday, coinciding with the opening of Dubai’s popular consumer electronics show, Gitex Shopper.
“There’s likely to be very high demand for the new models, especially as the launch coincides with a strong consumer appetites around Gitex starting next week,” said Ashish Panjabi, the chief operating officer at Jacky’s Electronics.
“The larger screens are going to be especially popular, as we’ve seen with other brands that between 4.3 to 5.5-inch screens was the sweet spot that customers went for.”
Shortages of the new handsets are likely in the first weeks after their release, before supply and demand stablise after about two months, he said.
Several US Apple stores sold out of the larger iPhone 6 plus on the first day of launch.
Mobile phone shops in Abu Dhabi’s Al Wahda Mall said that the level of pre-orders of the new handsets was broadly in line with pre-orders of the iPhone 5 and 5S beforehand.
jeverington@thenational.ae
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