Dubai: Any guesses how much people are willing to pay for the ‘FaceTime’ feature on Apple’s iPhones sold in the grey market?
It is more than Dh1,000 on high-end models. The phones are going to be officially sold in the UAE market from Saturday, but online retailers are going to sell the devices from Friday itself.
Globally, the phone will be launched on Friday.
“The phones to be available officially [in the UAE] will not have the FaceTime feature, as it is banned in the country. Many people are buying from the grey market only for the video-calling feature,” Sheriff Rizwan, CEO and founder of AlShop.com, told Gulf News.
Omar Kassim, founder and CEO of JadoPado, said that the marketplace is selling local stocks (without FaceTime) and stocks coming from other markets (with FaceTime). He said the pre-bookings look “pretty good” despite the new devices not witnessing a radical change.
“There is definitely a market out there and people are willing to buy these devices at a premium. It is a bit strange and a lot of it depends on the population out here. A lot of residents here come from overseas and when they go back home, they prefer to have the ‘FaceTime’ feature,” he said.
Moreover, he added, it is a “pretty big deal” to have the video-calling feature on the device. “Some people, who don’t buy the device here, prefer to buy it from the US or Europe just for the video-calling feature.”
JadoPado is selling the iPhone 7 Plus (256GB) for Dh4,749, while AlShop is selling the iPhone 7 (256GB) for Dh4,495.
Rizwan said the 256GB model is not as favoured. JadoPado, meanwhile, is seeing a big demand for iPhone 7 Plus in 128GB and 256GB models due to better camera specs.
The 16GB model of iPhone is being discontinued. Apple is introducing 32GB as the standard base storage option.
The iPhone 7 will be available in the UAE for Dh2,599 (32GB), Dh2,999 (128GB) and Dh3,399 (256GB). The iPhone 7 Plus will be available for Dh3,099 (32GB), Dh3,499 (128GB) and Dh3,899 (256GB).
For the first time, the iPhone is available in five colours, including the new black variations — Matte Black and Jet Black, with the latter being a glossy variation that is only available in the 128GB and 256GB options, replacing the old Space Grey colour. The other colours are Silver, Gold and Rose Gold.
“We are taking pre-bookings and the demand is more for jet black (128GB) devices. We are expecting a potential delivery of around 500 units by Friday. Distribution channels will get the devices on Thursday,” Rizwan said.
JadoPado’s Kassim said that prices go up and down and “we don’t determine it”.
“We have seen that in previous launches also. The devices will sell for a premium on the opening day and prices go down after a few weeks. It will happen this year also,” he said.
