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It's a 5-star debut for iPhone 6S in Dubai

Dubai - Apple fans trooped to major electronics retailers on Friday - mostly in the evening - wanting to be among the first to own the latest iPhone 6S and 6S Plus smartphones.

There was music to soothe their soul. There were red carpet and carnival lights to usher them in. There were refreshments to keep their late-night hunger pangs at bay. They were there to celebrate technology and own a slice of Apple's latest offerings.
Apple fans trooped to major electronics retailers on Friday - mostly in the evening - wanting to be among the first to own the latest iPhone 6S and 6S Plus smartphones.
To have a different feel to it, telecom operator du transformed the area outside its head office in Dubai Internet City into a festival square. Its flagship stores at Al Salam Tower was illuminated with lights and red carpet was rolled out to welcome potential customers for Apple's latest devices, which were officially launched in the UAE, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia at midnight on Friday.
Crowds started to build up around 11pm and by around midnight as many as 150 customers were in the queue. A musician and a singer were called in to entertain the waiting Apple fans, while a caricature artist - who was also in the queue for an iPhone 6S - offered his voluntary services to fellow buyers.
As a goodwill gestures, du arranged fresh juices and pastries for the discerning customers until 12am when gates were opened to start the official sale of Apple's new devices in Dubai. It also awarded free devices to first five customers who termed it as "the icing on the cake" and "double joy".
"I'm excited to receive the iPhone 6S in the very first moment of sale and that is the reason I have been here since 11pm," Sarfraz, a graphic designer from Sri Lanka, told Khaleej Times.
"Although, I had pre-booked my order and have an option to receive it at my home, I preferred to wait and get the new device as soon as the sale started here."
While not as crowded and festive, electronics retailers at malls also had their fill of dealing with customers who eagerly queued up to get their iPhones - as well as their fair share of the "carnival" atmosphere.
"It went out very well; there were huge queues," Neelesh Bhatnagar, chief executive of Emax, told Khaleej Times on the last day of Gitex Shopper on Saturday.
"We had a good response in pre-booking; almost everyone came to pick it up [at midnight] and they were quite excited getting themselves photographed. It was like a carnival."
Bhatnagar declined to give pre-booking numbers, but said it's better than iPhone 6 and Plus.
"We noticed brisk sales at our stores and at Gitex Shopper. This time the stock is sufficient," he added.
- muzaffarrizvi@khaleejtimes.com

• Apple fans rush to buy iPhones in UAE