So in a market that has been dominated by the Blackberry — the first devices to offer a fully integrated data solution via both telecom providers in the UAE — and Apple (in spite of the late launch of its iPhones in the region, which meant early adopters bypassed official providers for parallel suppliers), other vendors could have a golden window of opportunity. A
stumble for the Blackberry wouldn’t necessarily be bad news for everybody else. “The rumour that Apple is opening a regional office will mean more targeted marketing, we hope, and better support overall for Apple users,” says Panjabi. But at the same time, he believes that if the UAE ban on Google’s market for Android Apps is lifted,
(48) // CHANNEL MIDDLE EAST_SEPTEMBER 2010 _www.itp.net_
many users will turn to Android devices as viable Blackberry and Apple alternatives. “Smartphones today are about making a statement,” he says. “At times, this is a professional statement when you come into a meeting and you put your Blackberry down on the table, or a fashion statement when you go to a dinner party and wave your iPhone 4 around. At the end of the day, smartphones do carry a high aspirational value in the minds of most consumers, and this is what we, as retailers, aspire to create in the customer’s mind when they walk into the store.” Whatever the outcome of the Blackberry talks, it seems that the smartphone market’s growth prospects still look pretty strong.