Dubai: Retailers in the UAE are expecting the highly anticipated iPhone 6 smartphone, scheduled to be revealed on Tuesday, to be available in the country four to six weeks after it is available to consumers in the US. The exact release date is not yet known.
The launch of the new iPhone is expected to be one of the largest events this year. There has been a lot of interest from international media on the smartphone in recent months, with pictures and rumours about its features floating on the internet.
“There is definitely a lot of anticipation for the device, especially considering flagship devices have traditionally done well here,” said Ashish Panjabi, chief operating officer of consumer electronics retailer Jacky’s.
At tonight’s event, consumer electronics giant Apple is expected to unveil two iPhones with larger screens, and a wearable computer, which has been dubbed the iWatch.
The price of the iPhone 6 is not yet known. It will reportedly go on sale by the end of the month, while the smartwatch is expected to go on sale next year.
Last year, Apple launched the iPhone 5S and the low-cost iPhone 5C, with a 4-inch display. The 5S model was sold for Dh2,749 (16GB), Dh3,149 (32GB) and Dh3,549 (64GB), when it was launched, while the 5C was priced Dh2,349 (16GB) and Dh2,749 (32GB).
“It is hard to predict the exact pricing strategy that Apple will follow, but one thing is for sure, that it is not going to follow the generic trend of smartphones these days with lower ASPs [average selling prices],” Nabila Popal, research manager for the Middle East, Africa and Turkey at market researcher International Data Corp (IDC), told Gulf News in an emailed statement.
Neelesh Bhatnagar, chief executive of consumer electronics retailer Emax, does not expect the new smartphone to be priced much higher than its predecessors.
The smartwatch will likely come in two sizes, feature a display measuring 2.5 inches diagonally, and have computing power, according to international media reports. Also, it is expected to connect wirelessly with iPhones.
With the smartwatch, Apple will be competing with companies that sell wearable devices, such as Nike, Fitbit and Samsung.
The market for wearable devices is growing quickly. According to IDC, global shipments of wearable computing devices will exceed 19 million units in 2014, tripling last year’s sales.
Larger screen
The new iPhones are expected to come in two screen sizes- one measuring 4.7 inches diagonally and the other 5.5-inches- and have faster processors. The smartphones will reportedly have the iOS8 system.
With iPhones that have larger screens, Apple will be competing with Samsung, which launched its new Galaxy Note 4 last week.
“There is a shift to larger screen sizes than the four inches Apple currently offers. The sweet spot seems to be between 4.7 and 5.7 [inches] at the moment,” Panjabi said.
IDC’s Popal said that having a larger screen for the iPhone 6 “is likely to work really well for Apple, as it will address one of the most popular concerns of the iPhone users and would be users, being its much smaller screen sizes compered to its arch rival Samsung’s and many other popular brands today.”
She said that an iPhone with a larger screen will have “some impact” on the market share of its competitors that already have large-screen smartphones.
Most of the demand for large-screen smartphones is in the US and Asian countries, according to Anshul Gupta, principal research analyst at Gartner, an information technology research and advisory firm.
“Big-screen smartphones have been selling in good volumes,” he said.
Grey market
Demand for the iPhone 6 in the grey market is expected to drop, as was the case last year, when the 5S and 5C hit UAE shelves a few weeks after they were available in the US. The first four iPhones took longer to launch in the UAE than last year’s models.
“The grey market demand has dropped dramatically with the last few launches as the official release dates were not as long as they once were in the UAE. There is still a segment willing to pay any price to get it first, but we expect the vast majority of consumers will be willing to wait and pay a more reasonable price,” Panjabi said.
UAE launch
On whether telecoms operator du will sell the iPhone 6, a company spokesperson said in an emailed statement: “We understand the nature of the local market and its eagerness to be early adopters of newest global technologies. Therefore, we assure our customers that we will continue to be the first to launch any new smartphones in the UAE after evaluating the level of interest.”
Etisalat did not respond by deadline.
Retailers said that they plan to sell accessories for the iPhone 6 once it is available in the UAE.
