You can't officially get Apple's latest iPhone, the 3GS, in the UAE until August, but if you can't quell your patience, some local retailers are offering the device at a steep premium.
Working on a tip from a previous Beep Beep blog post and a Emirates Mac message board thread, it turns out that Dubai retailer Tarsam Trading offers the 16 GB version of the iPhone 3GS for a whopping Dh5,500 and the 32GB version for an equally eye-popping Dh6,600. Both phone models are said to be "factory unlocked", and come with the store's one-year warrenty as well as an iPod speaker set.
Some thoughts on this lofty price tag after the jump.
The iPhone, during its initial availability, has never been a
cheap, affordable device, but paying so much for Apple's latest mobile
toy may make more than a few early adopters second-guess their buying
habits. By comparison, according to this Emirates Mac user,
the iPhone costs €619 (Dh3,200) and €719 (Dh3,700) for factory unlocked
16GB and 32GB models in Italy, and that includes a 20 per cent VAT tax,
which is usually recovered at a kiosk in the airport.
A quick
check on Emirates Airlines fares to Italy - roughly Dh3,675 - means
that it almost costs as much to fly to Italy and pick up an iPhone than
it would be to buy one here. Plus, you're spitting distance to
Mediterranean beaches, which I hear are really nice this year.
Or
you could wait until August (rumours floating around suggest it'll be
in the first week of the month), when Etisalat is expected to launch
the new iPhone.
If there's any more places in the UAE that
sells the iPhone 3GS prior to its expected August launch, please let us
know through the comments.