News

Apple Brings Its Online Retail Experience To Saudi Arabia

The Cupertino company has launched its official online store and app in Saudi Arabia, offering Arabic-language support and personalized shopping for the first time.

Published

11 months ago

July 22, 2025

Nour Nasir

apple brings its online retail experience to saudi arabia

Apple has officially entered the Saudi retail market with the launch of its Apple Store online and the Apple Store app, now fully available in Arabic. The move marks the tech giant’s first direct-to-customer retail presence in the Kingdom — a shift that gives users access to Apple’s full product lineup and support ecosystem in their native language.

“We are thrilled to bring the Apple Store online and the Apple Store app to Saudi Arabia, offering customers a new way to explore and shop Apple’s extraordinary lineup of products and services,” said Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s senior vice president of Retail and People. “Our teams can’t wait to connect with customers and help them discover how Apple innovations can meaningfully enrich their daily lives”.

apple online store saudi arabia

Through the Apple Store app, users can browse with personalized recommendations based on their current devices, compare models, manage saved items, and track orders. The rollout also introduces full Arabic-language engraving for the first time, allowing customers to personalize AirPods, Apple Pencil, AirTag, and more with both Arabic and English text, emojis, or numbers.

Customers can now configure their Mac with custom chip, memory, and storage options or mix and match Apple Watch bands and cases for a personalized look. Support is also being expanded through chat and phone assistance, with services like Personal Setup, iOS migration, and cellular activation included post-purchase.

The store also offers Buy Now Pay Later options via Tamara, enabling customers to split payments over four months with zero interest. The Trade In program also arrives in the Kingdom, giving users the chance to exchange old devices for credit — or recycle them free of charge if no credit is available.

Also Read: Twitch Launches Arabic Right-To-Left Interface For Web & Mobile

Students and educators gain access to Apple’s Education Store, with discounted pricing on Macs and iPads. A limited-time back-to-school offer is also live until October 21, bundling AirPods or another accessory with eligible purchases.

Apple has confirmed it will begin opening physical stores in Saudi Arabia from 2026, with an iconic flagship planned for Diriyah, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The move builds on existing ties in the Kingdom, including the Apple Developer Academy launched in Riyadh in 2021 in partnership with local institutions.

News

LUVED Is A New Curated Preloved Marketplace For The UAE

Sellers keep 100 percent of every sale and AI can build a listing in five seconds — though the app’s smartest tools are still coming.

Published

2 days ago

June 16, 2026

Joanna Melki

luved is a new curated preloved marketplace for the uae

Secondhand shopping has become mainstream in the UAE, but the experience is still scattered across resale sites, social media and informal group chats. LUVED, a mobile-first marketplace that launched in Dubai this month, is betting it can pull that activity into one place — and that the thing buyers and sellers actually want is not more inventory, but trust.

The app trades in what it calls circular luxury: preloved fashion and lifestyle pieces across men’s, women’s and children’s categories, bought, sold or given away peer to peer. Its main pitch is economics, with sellers keeping 100 percent of every sale under a zero-commission, fast payout model, while buyers are promised vetted pieces at lower prices.

Where LUVED is staking its reputation is verification. Sellers pass a KYC check, and items run through a two-layer authentication system powered by Entrupy that pairs instant AI screening with human expert review for high-value pieces. Authenticity certificates travel with each item, payments sit in escrow, and a buyer-protection package the company calls The Safety Net adds a 48-hour return window and dispute resolution. Door-to-door logistics removes the in-person meetups that make most resale deals awkward.

An in-app assistant called Luvbot — offering selling insights and demand-based recommendations — is soon to be introduced to the platform. Other features include autofill and dynamic pricing that lets users build a listing in as little as five seconds from three photos, plus a swipe-based feed, story-style drops and in-app chat in English and Arabic. Finally, a gifting layer, Luved & Gifted, lets users pass items to others inside the app rather than sell them.

Also Read: Logitech’s New Folding Mouse Is Designed For Work On The Go

“After moving to Dubai, I saw how difficult it was to sell or even give things away,” says founder and CEO Shaima Sibtain. The friction is real, and so is the competition. In resale, trust is won transaction by transaction — and that is the test LUVED has set itself.

The app is live on the App Store now, with Google Play to follow. The company also plans to expand across the region, which will be the real test for a marketplace staking everything on trust.