It does however boast natural lighting and trees in the middle of the store. Its new Broadcast Fast Track App will provide broadcasters with the “fastest way to join the (Apple) Store via complete development and deployment service”. “The last time that this happened – opening two stores on the same day and in a new country – was actually stores one and two [the first-ever Apple stores], so this is pretty exciting for us”. Given the current shipping estimates and Best Buy’s in-store release date, the week ending November 7 seems to be a strong possibility.
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The store is ready to go for Thursday’s opening. The Dubai store, located on the second floor of Mall of the Emirates and adjacent to major fashion brands, also features a room at the back to host business events and workshops.
Beckman confirmed that the new openings would bring the total number of Apple stores worldwide to 466 across 17 countries. The staff have been trained in Europe and the United States and many of them have been Apple employees for several years, she said.
Interestingly, the Dubai store has 10 trees in it, and two living walls that have a variety of small plants growing on them.
“It was important to us that we open in Dubai and Abu Dhabi on the same day”, Wendy Beckman, Apple’s senior market director for Europe and the Middle East, said in front of the media throng.
Besides retailing Apple’s full range of devices, the UAE Apple Stores also retail third-party (Apple-endorsed) products such as iPhone cases and headphones.
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The UAE Apple Stores are also the only ones right now to have the display pods with touch-enabled charging and Internet stations.
