iPhone 6? Please be patient, retailers say

Top retailers in the UAE started new iPhone sales from Saturday midnight and all stocks sold within two hours

iPhone 6 and 6 Plus stocks ran out as a result of these being sold out during the wee hours of Saturday.Photo by Rahul Gajjar/ Khaleej Times

Dubai — Gitex Shopper disappointed Apple fans as the latest iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus were not available at the power retailers on the first day of the show and these new devices are not going to be available for the next three days, according to top exhibitors.

Top retailers in the UAE started new iPhone sales from Saturday midnight and all stocks sold within two hours and that’s the reason Sharaf DG, Emax, Jacky’s Jumbo and Plug Ins didn’t have stocks for Gitex Shopper.

Only telecom operators etisalat and du were busy in selling new iPhones with their own data and voice packages at the show.

“It was launched at Friday midnight at six Emax stores in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi and all sold out. It looks difficult to bring iPhone 6 and Plus during Gitex or may be for the last two days,” Emax chief executive officer Neelesh Bhatnagar told Khaleej Times.

“This time it [new iPhones] has been launched in many more countries compared to last launch and that’s why allocation has been a little less,” Bhatnagar added.

Nadeem Khanzadah, head of retail at Jumbo Electronics, said: “Yesterday [Friday] we kept our stores opened until 2am and every single iPhone has been sold out. We could have sold 10 times more, if we had more stocks. Once more stocks arrive, it will be available with and without data package.”

Nilesh Khalkho, chief executive officer of Sharaf DG, said: “We had midnight launch yesterday [Friday] and sold around 1,900 new iPhones. Next stock is expected to come on Monday [today].”

At etisalat, iPhone 6 is available starting at zero dirham upfront for the 16GB model and iPhone 6 Plus is also available starting at zero dirham upfront for the 16GB model. iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are the biggest advancements in iPhone history, featuring two new models with stunning 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch Retina HD displays, and packed with innovative technologies in an all-new dramatically thin and seamless design that is still comfortable to hold and easy to use. Both models are better in every way and include: the Apple-designed A8 chip with second generation 64-bit desktop-class architecture for blazing fast performance and power efficiency; advanced iSight and FaceTime HD cameras; and ultrafast wireless technologies. - abdulbasit@khaleejtimes.com