Dubai: Die-hard iPhone fans are willing to pay any amount just to get their hands on the new Apple gadgets.
Apple announced the launch of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus on September 9 and the new phones were released in the US and other major markets on September 19.
Apple sold a record of more than 10 million iPhones in the weekend debut of the new models, according to Bloomberg. Sales surpassed last year’s nine million units when the iPhone 5s and 5c were introduced.
In the UAE, the new iPhones will be officially launched on September 27, but die-hard fans have already got their units through the grey market at exorbitant prices.
“I bought the iPhone 6Plus 16GB on September 20 for Dh7,000 and sold it to a friend. I then bought the iPhone 6 for Dh5,500. I wait for the launch of new iPhones every year,” Mohammad Ghulamhazad, an Afghan businessman, said.
He is one of thousands in Dubai who got the phones within a few days of their launch.
Among the earliest buyers is Mohammad Tayyeb, who purchased iPhone 6 on September 20 and can’t take his eyes off it. “I can’t explain the feeling of having it first among friends. It’s a matter of prestige and pride. I just love the feeling and the phone is amazing,” said Tayyeb, who paid Dh5,000.
The prices have come down since the first two days and are expected to fall further.
“I always wanted Apple to build a big screen iPhone and now that they have launched it, I couldn’t wait to have it. I love the feel and speed of iPhone 6Plus and I can’t stop admiring it. I know the prices are going down but I couldn’t wait any more,” said Sher Nai, a Chinese tourist, who bought iPhone 6 Plus 16GB for Dh6,000 yesterday.
All variants of the new phones are readily available in the electronics market in Deira but the prices vary depending on the memory size of the phones as well as the warranty.
“The demand for the iPhones, mostly the iPhone6, has been unprecedented. We sell around 80 to 100 units per day in retail and many more in wholesale as well. Most of our customers are tourists from Russia, Africa, China and Eastern Europe,” Khaleel Khudadost, a sales executive at Royal Cell Phones near Baniyas Square, said.
Interestingly, the response to 6 Plus with a screen size of 5.5 inches, which was eagerly awaited, hasn’t been great.
“There is not much demand for iPhone 6 Plus, I guess it is because the size is new for iPhones. Probably when the price goes down there could be a better response,” said a salesman at Ali Dahery Electronics who has sold more than 1,000.
