Dubai: Apple’s smartwatches are selling like hot cakes in Dubai, despite a supply shortage in the grey market and problems with some features not working properly, especially for users with tattoos.
“We delivered more than 250 units as on Saturday. Supply is short and it is going to get tough in the next two weeks as Apple has not given the watches to its distribution channels or Apple stores,” said Sheriff Rizwan, CEO and founder at Alshop.com.
Omar Kassim, CEO of JadoPado.com, said that sales have been good so far despite the supply crunch.
“Prices have come down and demand has been beyond expectations. The supply crunch is keeping the prices artificially high at the moment,” he said.
Alshop is selling the aluminium Watch Sport, priced at $349, for Dh3,499 (38mm) or Dh4,399 (42mm). The Apple Watch steel (priced between $549 and $1,049) is selling from Dh5,499 (38mm) to Dh10,999 for 42mm.
JadoPado is selling the $349 watch for Dh3,099 while mygsm.me is selling it for Dh2,250 (38mm) and Dh2,950 (42mm).
“The watches were sold for more than Dh5,000 in the initial stages and it will come down further in the next two weeks,” said Naushad Pava, customer service agent at mygsm.me.
Rizwan said that Apple has not distributed most of its stainless steel Watch Sport models and the Apple Watch Edition to the channels. Apple has distributed all its aluminium-based series and around eight models of the stainless out of the 20 models for pre-ordered customers.
Some unexpected problems have also some to light regarding the Apple Watch. The sensor to monitor heart rate does not work on tattooed skin and the watch stops monitoring it. Several videos posted on the YouTube show the sensor not working properly on tattooed skin. Many Twitter users have named the issue “TattooGate”.
“We had not got any complaints so far from users but only for some pairing issues. We are anticipating another 300 units to be dispatched on Tuesday, including other Gulf states,” Rizwan said.
