Apple store employees have announced that walk-ins would not be accepted this year, thus crowd control measures have been put in place.
Tomorrow, September 20, all UAE retailers will have the new iPhone 16 lineup in addition to all the recently revealed Apple items for sale.
On the eve of the much-awaited opening, however, many of the regular line-goers appeared perplexed by the new arrangement and gathered about the store instead of trying to form a queue this year.
People have lined up well in advance to get their hands on the new smartphone at the Apple stores in Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates in previous years, drawing enormous crowds on the eve of the launch.
There did not seem to be much of a crowd outside or near the Apple shop at Dubai Mall this year, suggesting that tight crowd control measures were in place. Security officers are actively scattering groups and steering them away from the store unless customers desire the things that are already there. Barricades have been put in place.
Only those who require assistance with the current inventory are allowed admittance into the store due to security measures and personnel presence at the entrance. The staff duly notifies those who appear to be inquiring about the Apple iPhone 16 about its debut tomorrow.This year, Apple stores all throughout the UAE will not accept walk-ins. On September 13, those who placed online reservations for iPhones were given a time window by which they must show up to the shop of their choice to pick them up.
Ali, who traveled from India this morning with about fifty other people solely to get the iPhone 16, was observed attempting to make sense of the circumstances outside the Apple store. He was seen attempting to form a line outside the store because he assumed that things would have been the same as they were the previous year. He told Khaleej Times, “Many of us had reserved the iPhone, and few of us had hoped to be a part of the walk-in mob.” “However, it appears that we are not able to form a line outside the store this evening.”
Mohammed, a citizen of Pakistan, traveled from China to purchase an iPhone 16. “It is only available in China after three days,” he stated. “Hopefully, the iPhone 16 will arrive tomorrow.”
Another content creator from Dubai, Rafeez Ahmed, stood outside the Dubai Mall store to assess the situation. Huge throngs of individuals wanting to purchase the new iPhone 15 were visible during this time last year, according to his documentation.
Rafeez, who has two Apple IDs, was able to reserve four iPhones for himself on September 13 because customers are only allowed to reserve two iPhones per Apple ID.
The base model of the iPhone 16 Plus costs Dh3,799, while the iPhone 16 starts at Dh3,399 in pricing. Each model includes
