UAE: Apple opens first Middle East store in Dubai

Tech Giant Apple opened the Middle East's first Apple store in the Mall of the Emirates in Dubai's al-Barsha district Thursday. Hundreds of customers mobbed the new store as the doors opened in a grand ceremony that started at 4 PM local time. (GMT + 4). The new store was lined with 10 live trees and two living walls with a variety of small plants growing from them. The store boasts a ‘Genius Bar’, where experts offer technical support and repairs, as well as free workshops that are open to the public. The new store is estimated to be under 10,000 sq/feet (3000 m2), making it significantly smaller than Apple's international stores, including the multi-storied California branch in Palo Alto, which measures in at 15,030-square-foot (4500 m2).