UPDATE
07 December 2024
Apple accelerates investment in United Arab Emirates with new Apple Store
Today, Apple announced Apple Al Ain — its newest store in the United Arab Emirates — will open next year, bringing the best of Apple to even more customers across the country. Located in Abu Dhabi, Apple Al Ain marks the fifth retail store location in the UAE, and showcases the company’s ongoing investment in and commitment to the region.
“The UAE is home to an incredible community of creators, innovators, developers, and entrepreneurs, and we’re excited to keep growing our teams, supporting local businesses, and strengthening our ties with our customers here,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “We’re thrilled to open our newest store in Abu Dhabi and to keep sharing the magic of Apple with even more people.”
Apple in the United Arab Emirates
Apple has accelerated its investments in the United Arab Emirates in recent years, creating new opportunities for local companies and developers, and adding hundreds of people to its teams. Over the past five years, Apple has invested more than 6 billion AED across the United Arab Emirates. Including Apple’s spend with Emirati companies, the thriving iOS app economy, and direct employment, the company now supports more than 38,000 jobs across the country.
Retail Expansion Across the Country
Located in the oasis city of Al Ain, the newest Apple Store will offer an engaging shopping and learning experience for customers from across the region, while showcasing Apple’s most innovative products.
Apple launched its online store in the UAE in September 2011, enabling customers to shop the best of Apple like never before. Four years later, Apple opened its first retail stores in the UAE, Apple Yas Mall and Apple Mall of the Emirates. Since then, in stores and online, Apple’s knowledgeable, dedicated team members have delivered exceptional service and support while helping customers discover and buy Apple’s latest products, including the powerful iPhone 16 lineup, the fastest and most capable Mac family, and the incredibly thin iPad Pro.
Apple’s first spatial computer, Apple Vision Pro, arrived in the UAE last month, and was celebrated by customers and developers. Vision Pro seamlessly blends digital content with the physical world to deliver powerful spatial experiences that transform how people work, collaborate, connect, relive memories, and enjoy entertainment.
A Thriving Developer Community
The Emirati developer community continues to be a powerful force for economic growth, supporting jobs across the country at companies large and small. Since the launch of the App Store, developers in the UAE have earned nearly 5 billion AED from their apps selling digital goods and services to customers around the world, with earnings up over 750 percent since 2019.
With the arrival of Apple Vision Pro, developers have a powerful new platform to reach users in the region with spatial experiences unlike anything else. Emirati developers have found a large global audience for their apps for iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and tvOS — and have already created incredible immersive experiences for visionOS.
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