Dubai: Sony Mobile on Thursday opened the world’s first underwater store at The World Islands off the coast of the Dubai.
The Sony Xperia Aquatech store, which was supposed to be opened on Wednesday, at a depth of four meters underwater, was postponed due to some delays in the completion of the installation of the store due to adverse weather conditions throughout the week.
The store is open only for three days, and hosting VIPs, regional and international media.
“Visitors will get to go through a unique experience and browse through the full range of Xperia waterproof smartphones, tablets and accessories,” Rudiger Odenbach, vice-president for Sony Middle East and Africa, told Gulf News.
“We want to show our partners and customers how confident we are regarding durability and waterproof technology in which we are the market leader,” he said, adding that Sony is not only bringing the waterproof technology to high-end models but also to mid-range smartphones.
About 25 per cent of smartphone service issues are related to water, according to Odenbach.
Sony has five per cent market share in the UAE. The Japanese manufacturer has launched eight models in the region, the latest being Xperia Z3 Dual and Z3 Compact. It also launched Xperia M2 Aqua, dubbed as the world’s most waterproof phone.
Asked how much Sony invested in the temporary underwater store, Spyros Gousetis, director of marketing at Sony Mobile MEA, said that it is not very expensive compared to holding a roadshow in Saudi Arabia. It is “priceless” and it is “once in a lifetime experience”.
“We are focusing on key markets and on the premium segment. We want to be a benchmark in technology and become number three in the market,” Odenbach said.
He added that Sony Mobile is only three years old and very young compared to other rivals. “So, it is not fair to compare with giants who are already in the market for more than 10 years. If you take that into consideration, we are doing pretty well,” he said.
