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Unlocked iPhone 4 goes on sale in the UAE through online shop(Gulf News (United Arab Emirates) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) interest for apple product rises in saudi arabia, qatar and bahrain Dubai Months before the planned official launch of Apples iconic new iPhone 4 in the Middle East, a Dubai-based online retailer has managed to import stocks of unlocked iPhones for sale in the UAE and other Gulf countries, Gulf News has learnt. Alshop.com is the first retailer in the UAE to have the iPhone 4 in both 16GB and 32GB versions in stock, Sheriff Rizwan, CEO of Alshop.com, told Gulf News. The phones come in an unlocked condition and can be used with any SIM card, Rizwan added. He bought the devices from different parts of the world, said Rizwan, mainly from Europe and Asia, where the unlocked versions of the phone have already hit the markets. Despite anticipating the official launch of the gadget, Rizwan says that there are no issues with Apple. This is a free market. Lower price On Monday, he sold around 100 pre-booked iPhones to customers. There is huge demand, he added, enabling him to set the price for the 32GB version at Dh6,200 and for the 16GB at Dh5,500. More stock is about to arrive, he said, which in return will lead to lower prices. Rizwan said he also got orders from Saudi Arabia and Qatar and inquiries from Bahrain. In the US, the AT&T-linked iPhone is sold at $299 (Dh1,097) for the 32GB version and at $199 (Dh730) for the 16GB version. However, these phones have to be bought together with a yearly contract and will not accept any SIM card other than AT&Ts. The unlocked phones, already on sale in Apples UK online shop, are currently priced there at 599 (Dh3,350) for the 32GB version and 499 (Dh2,790) for the 16GB version including free shipping within three weeks (only within the UK). However, Alshop.com seems in fact not to be the first one to distribute the iPhone in the UAE. Dubai-based online electronics shop Nahel.com claims that it has given away the iPhone in a promotion drive together with Virgin Radio since the beginning of the week. Alshops claims that they are the first to get the iPhone into the country are false, a Nahel.com spokesperson told Gulf News. The official launch of the iPhone 4 in the UAE is expected in September this year, but no definite date has been set. Both telecom providers Etisalat and du have already said they plan to offer a SIM-locked version together with a yearly plan. The iPhone 4 so far is the most successful product launch of Apple, the company said last week. By Saturday, it had sold 1.7 million units, prompting Apple CEO Steve Jobs to apologise to customers who had to be turned away because all stock had been sold out and the company had not enough supplies. AFP Touch sensation Apple fans display iPhone 4 handsets after the global debut in five countries on June 24 in New York. The unlocked iPhone 4 which can be used with any SIM card is now available from online shops in the UAE. (c) 2009 Al Nisr Publishing LLC . All rights reserved. Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company |