Retailers in the UAE say that they expect to have gray market iPhone 6S models within two weeks – but will the minor upgrades be enough for consumers to pay a the huge mark-up that early adopters face?
The new iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, announced Wednesday by Apple at the World Developers Conference in San Francisco, retain the same form as the current models. They do come up and upgraded 12 megapixel camera and what Apple is calling 3D Touch – which allows different actions based on how firmly the user is touching the screen.
The phones will be available for preorder Saturday in the United States, with sales beginning on Sept. 25.
Apple has no announced when it will official release the phone in the Gulf, but retailers told The National that they should have the new models through the gray import market within two weeks.
While the increased size of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus were enough of a draw for consumers to pay premiums of up to 1,000 dirhams to buy ahead of the official release of those models last year, will the relatively minor changes to the 6S be thought worth it?
“The iPhone 6 sold very well because people wanted bigger devices," Ashish Panjabi, the chief operating officer at Jacky’s Electronics, told The National. “Apple enthusiasts and more techy consumers will be tempted, but with the original iPhone 6 still on sale and at a lower price, we will see how the new devices do.”
Considering that the official Apple store it expected to open in Dubai anytime, it seems likely that the official release of the iPhone 6S will happen at the same time.
Would you pay 1,000 dirhams extra to get the new phone just a month or so early?