Once upon a time in the UAE, users already hyped on iPhone

Only one year after the original iPhone was introduced, UAE consumers had already shown interest in a device which, at that time, nobody had an idea how it would change the mobile world forever.

But it sure did change the way local users scoured the Web in the country.

Trade-in price-comparison website BankMyCell, in a study specifically churned out for Khaleej Times, revealed that UAE consumers, early on in the iPhone’s formative years, already had a substantial interest in the smartphone.

The specific study showed that UAE consumers’ interest for the iPhone 3G, the successor to the original device that the legendary Steve Jobs introduced in 2007, handily beat out the global average. Compared to its worldwide peak of 33 per cent in July 2008, the UAE more than doubled this at 75 per cent — and it was even higher two months later at 85 per cent.

The first-generation iPhone, meanwhile, also drew higher interest in the UAE, and a notable factor here is that it was consistently above global figures: while the rise in global interest was highest at 17 per cent during June 2007 — the same month it was rolled out; it was unveiled in January of that year — the UAE scored almost triple at 48 per cent.

The trend continued for the next few months, most notably in September, November, December and February, as UAE interest remained high at 47 per cent, 46 per cent, 45 per cent and 40 per cent, respectively. The global rise during the same months were 11 per cent for the first three, dipping further to eight per cent in February.

The data is “very accurate”, as it is “based on global and regional queries on Google, giving a much more complete overview than a single research data house”, BankMyCell’s Richard Morris said in an e-mail.

For the iPhone 3GS, the third model in the line-up, interest waned in the UAE — but it still was easily higher than the global average, 42 per cent versus 29 per cent in June 2009, and was even higher the next month at 53 per cent.

UAE interest after the iPhone 4 was released rose 54 per cent in June 2010, in a practical deadlock with the worldwide average of 56 per cent. For the 4S, the worldwide rate, for the first time in the timeline, beat out the UAE, 63 per cent against 50 per cent in October 2011.

All-time, UAE interest spiked the most after the launches of the iPhone 6/6 Plus (2014) and iPhone 5 (2012) at 100 per cent and 91 per cent, respectively. This is consistent with the global numbers, though the latter was higher at 98 per cent. An important factor that apparently contributed to the 2014 figures was the fact that UAE retailers held, for the first time, a midnight launch for Apple’s flagship.

The 10th-anniversary iPhone X, alongside the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, meanwhile, managed to peak interest in the UAE at only 70 per cent in September last year, versus 78 per cent worldwide.

The UAE peaks after the launches of the 6S/6S Plus (2015, 58 per cent) and 7/7 Plus (2016, 68 per cent) also outdid global figures (56 per cent and 65 per cent, respectively). Local interest in the iPhone SE (2016) was practically at par, while the iPhone 5S/5C was handily beat out by the global average high (59 per cent against 74 per cent).