'Today at Apple' starts in UAE

Today at Apple offers customised classes for all skill levels from beginner to experienced users, from all ages including children.

Apple is already an established force in the technology world. And it wants to influence us even more.
The company on Wednesday announced that Apple Stores in the UAE have launched "Today at Apple" activities, a set of free programmes and sessions designed to ramp up users' knowledge with Apple's products and services.
Today at Apple offers customised classes for all skill levels from beginner to experienced users, from all ages including children. The sessions led by highly-trained team members, plus creative professionals on topics like photo and video, music and coding, art and design, and many other wide-ranging topics.
Classes focus on everything from basic iPhone, iPad and Mac skills to more advanced topics like mixing music on a Mac, editing photos on iPhone and drawing on iPad. There are also Studio Hours where customers can bring in personal projects and get help from Apple staff. All schedules are posted on Apple's UAE website.
Additionally, to mark the first weekend of the new programmes all Apple Stores will offer Accessibility Basics sessions on Thursday in support of Global Accessibility Awareness Day.
"What we go for [in Today at Apple] is the 'surprise' that you've learned something new on an Apple product that you knew you couldn't do before," Ashley Middleton, Today at Apple's head of programming, told Khaleej Times during the recent opening of the Apple Store in The Dubai Mall.
The UAE was the fourth location where Today at Apple was rolled out, following San Francisco, New York and London. All other outlets globally will have it by the end of this month.
"We're creating a modern-day town square, where everyone is welcome in a space where the best of Apple comes together to connect with one another, discover a new passion, or take their skill to the next level," Apple senior vice-president of retail Angela Ahrendts said at the same event.
Each of the three Apple Stores in the UAE have their spotlight sessions: The Dubai Mall will have "Photo Walks: Documenting Travels with Yasmina Boustani", "Live Art: Story Lines with Dina Sami" and "Photo Lab: Playing with Perspective with Jumana El Heloueh"; Mall of the Emirates will have "Photo Walks: Telling a Story in Your Photos", "Studio Hours: Photo Projects" and "How To: Edit and Mix Music on Mac"; and Yas Mall will have "Kids Hour: Making Movies Together", "Sketch Walks: Observational Drawings" and "Creating Music with GarageBand".
alvin@khaleejtimes.com