Dubai - The tech giant's boss made an unexpected appearance at the Apple Store at Dubai's Mall of the Emirates on Saturday afternoon, stunning customers and staff alike.
Published: Sun 22 May 2016, 9:34 PM
Last updated: Mon 23 May 2016, 2:21 PM
No stranger to surprises with Apple, Tim Cook pulled off another one - and Dubai got to witness it first-hand.
The tech giant's boss made an unexpected appearance at the Apple Store at Dubai's Mall of the Emirates on Saturday afternoon, stunning customers and staff alike.
In a suddenly-wild atmosphere, Cook gamely engaged people at the location, posing for pictures and speaking with them.
Apple's UAE PR team did not respond to requests from Khaleej Times for details on the apparently confidential visit. It was also unclear what Cook's schedule was in the UAE nor the purpose of his visit.
Industry insiders, however, were of the view that the cameo appearance may be part of Apple's strategy to revamp all of its Apple Stores; the company very recently announced this plan, with its two-storey San Francisco location scheduled to unveil its fresh look on Saturday.
They also believe that the company is keen to expand its footprint in the Middle East through its UAE base, where consumers are tech-savvy and have a good following for its products.
Apple is ramping up its efforts to bounce back from a dismal fiscal second quarter, in which it posted its first-ever iPhone sales drop and first revenue decline in 13 years. The Cupertino, California-based firm's stock is down 30 per cent in the past year.
Speculators are also sold on the possibility that once the next iteration of the iPhone is launched later this year - most likely the "iPhone 7" - Dubai may be part of the very first wave of places where the device will be launched, at par with countries like Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the UK and the United States.
Markets like the UAE, China and India are now poised to play an even bigger role in Apple's overall strategy.
<blockquoteclass="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
With #Apple CEO Mr@tim_cook in #Apple Store @MallofEmirates Dubai UAE. pic.twitter.com/i1WnBUr7fO
- KifayatKhan Swati (@SwatiKifayat)
The CEO flew in after visiting India, the second stop of his Asian tour after China.
There, he announced the opening of an iOS design and development accelerator in Bengaluru, and met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier on Saturday, in which they discussed Apple's plans for the country; government officials say Apple's business would boost Modi's Make in India campaign. Cook also launched a revamped version of the Narendra Modi Mobile App.
Cook last visited the UAE in February 2014, making stops in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, further fanning speculations that an Apple Store would soon open in the country at that time. That finally came into fruition last year, with Apple Stores opening at Dubai's Mall of the Emirates and Abu Dhabi's Yas Mall on October 29 - only the second time a simultaneous inauguration was done after the first two
Apple Stores way back on May 19, 2001. - alvin@khaleejtimes.com
iPhone | iPad
Android
Huawei
