There’s a common misconception in other parts of the world that Dubai is a place where you can find cheap electronics and other products. For us who live here that’s nothing more than a illusive pipe dream. There may be some brands here that are not common elsewhere and I’m sure there are certain types of goods that can be found for an affordable price here but it’s not in electronics, I’m sure. So what can you do to save some money on the next purchase of a Mac, iPod or other Apple hardware? One way is to buy from the gray market. Gray market basically means goods that are distributed outside the authorized channels. In the Middle East there’s only one authorized distributor of Apple products and that is ABM (Arab Business Machines). Apple’s iPhone is the only exception, which is distributed by telecom operators around the region. If you’re lusting after an iPhone 4 you will be able to get one from both du and Etisalat soon as they have said that they’ll start selling Apple’s latest smartphone in September. Until then, you’re limited to getting a gray market iPhone, whether it’s from a seller in the UAE or directly from abroad. Paul Castle, who did some reporting on this for Shufflegazine last year, talked to representatives of other electronics brands, lawyers and government officials and concluded that selling gray market items is not illegal in UAE, other than in very specific circumstances, which don’t apply in the case of Apple it seems. The authorized sellers here in the UAE, including iStyle, Protech, Virgin etc. all do a good job of selling Apple products but there can be no doubt that you can find Apple products, especially Macs, cheaper on the gray market. So the obvious choice then, you say, is to buy gray market? Not so fast. For one thing there’s the issue of warranty. With iPhone and iPad the case is clear: if you buy a gray market item there is no warranty coverage for you in UAE. That means if something happens and you’d like your unit to be replaced or serviced you have to take it back to the country where it was bought. With Macs and iPods the situation is different because Apple offers a worldwide warranty on those products. That means even if you buy a gray market Mac in UAE or buy one yourself from another country and bring it here, as long as it’s still under warranty it should be services and dealt with by the service centers here. Finally, it’s also worth mentioning that if you want Arabic on your Apple product, whether it’s a manual, a keyboard or something else, you should consider buying only through official channels as ABM are the ones doing the localization. If you buy gray market don’t complain later that there’s no Arabic support. Whether to buy gray market or not is not a simple choice that’s just about money. In the end it’s up to you to make the choice but educate yourself so it’s an informed choice you’re making.
This article was originally published in Khaleej Times.
