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28 March 2024

Gitex Shopper hottest item: iPhone 5s rules

Published
By Joseph George

iPhone5S although not officially available here in the UAE, continues to do well in stalls that have them at the Gitex Shopper.

Very few stalls have the latest iPhones on sale, but wherever they are the iPhones constitute almost 60 per cent of the smartphone sales.

At Crazy Deals for example, a store that is offering instant cash back instead of bundle offers, an iPhone 5S is selling for Dh2,999 for a 16 GB grey model.

“Majority of our sales are iPhone 5S models. We almost sell one unit every 15 to 20 minutes. The demand is good. This is closely followed by the Samsung Note 3,” said a marketing executive at Crazy Deals.

According to her, it is not just the iPhone5S that is selling fast. “There is even demand for older models like the iPhone 5 and the iPhone 4S” she said.

The iPhone5 is selling for Dh2,250 while the iPhone4S is priced at Dh1799.

The trend in other stores where the latest iPhone is not on the list is however much different with the Samsung Note 3 taking the number one spot.

The Note 3 alone is priced at Dh2,900 and is sold in combination with the Samsung Gear for a little less than Dh4,000.

“Almost 40 per cent of those opting for the Note 3 are going for the combo offer,” said a sales staff at Jumbo.

Samsung Gear

The smartwatch by Samsung called Samsung Gear only works with the Note 3 and therefore restricted by numbers.

“Very soon apps would be ready for users of Samsung Galaxy 3 and higher models. However, there will not be a general android app that will make the Samsung Gear useful for other android users. That is another reason why Samsung Note3 users are lapping it up as it gives them some amount of exclusivity,” a Samsung official said.

Meanwhile, in terms of tablet sales Apple continues to dominate with the iPad mini moving much faster than all tablets put together.

“There is an overwhelming demand for the iPads. The mini however performs much better than its larger counterpart,” a SHaraf DG staff said.
   
Retailers offer even greater deals

Meanwhile, the final weekend of Gitex Shopper 2013 is drawing tens of thousands of visitors to the Dubai World Trade Centre as retailers and the world’s top tech brands offer even greater deals and deeper discounts on the latest consumer electronics products.

The sales extravaganza extends to almost everything, from the latest smartphones, tablets, TVs and digital cameras to gadgets, games, entertainment accessories and home appliances.

Running until 11pm on Saturday (12 October), the show also offers visitors endless chances to win fabulous prizes through the ‘Visit & Win’ raffle, gift vouchers, giveaways, ‘Scratch & Win’ promotions, and competitions that include an Opel Astra GTC being given away every day of the show.

Tickets are priced at Dh30 per person and are available at the venue and from selected Eppco, Enoc and Zoom outlets. Entry is free for children below the age of five.  The show runs from 11am to 11pm every day.