This is the news that all Apple users in the Arab world have been waiting for. Finally, Apple announced today its plans To expand in Saudi Arabia, starting with the launch of the Apple Store online in the summer of 2025. The online store will provide customers across the Kingdom with new ways to shop for all Apple products, with exceptional service and support directly from Apple in Arabic for the first time.
Starting in 2026, Apple will begin opening its first Apple Stores in Saudi Arabia, as a first step followed by a number of other stores. These stores will give customers in the Kingdom more opportunities to connect with experienced Apple team members and find the products and services that are right for them. As part of this expansion, Apple is currently in the early stages of planning for an iconic retail store in Diriyah area, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Apple CEO Tim Cook said:
“We are excited to expand here in Saudi Arabia with the launch of the Apple Online Store next year, and the first Apple flagship locations starting in 2026, including a popular store in the stunning Diriyah location coming later. Our teams look forward to strengthening our relationship with customers, and bringing the best of Apple to help people in this country discover their passions, grow their businesses, and take their ideas to greater heights.”
Apple Developer Academy for Women
Apple’s retail expansion builds on its existing investments and activities in the Kingdom, including the region’s first developer academy, which opened in Riyadh in 2021 in partnership with the Saudi Arabian government, Tuwaiq Academy, and Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University.
The Apple Developer Academy for Women, located at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, provides world-class training for female coders, designers, and entrepreneurs, preparing them for careers in the Kingdom’s thriving app economy. Nearly 2,000 female students have completed coding courses through the academy, and are now publishing their apps on the App Store to local and global audiences. Apple continues to expand learning opportunities through its academic programs and partnerships. This summer, Apple hosted the country’s first Apple Foundation course for both male and female students. The month-long course brought together students from across the Kingdom to learn the fundamentals of coding and app development, with a focus on gaming. Apple plans to expand the Foundation’s gender-neutral program, with the second cohort set to begin in spring 2025.
Apple Developer Academy graduates are not alone in their quest to build their careers in the Kingdom’s growing iOS app economy. The Saudi developer community is a driving force in economic growth, actively contributing to job creation in both large and small companies across the Kingdom. The app economy is growing rapidly as more and more programmers, entrepreneurs, and creatives use the App Store and the many tools Apple provides for developers to enter the market, with developer earnings in Saudi Arabia increasing by over 1,750 percent since 2019.
Apple services across the Kingdom
Apple continues to invest across Saudi Arabia, creating jobs and bringing new technology to artists, entrepreneurs, small business owners, and public transit users. Over the past five years, Apple has spent more than SAR 10 billion with businesses across the Kingdom. Apple services also help support businesses across Saudi Arabia.
With the opening of the new Riyadh Metro earlier this month, Riyadh becomes the latest city to join a list of more than 250 cities where users can use Apple Pay on public transport. Riyadh is also the first city in the Middle East where users can use Express Mode on the metro and buses, a seamless and secure way to pay for transportation by simply holding their iPhone or Apple Watch near a reader, without having to wake up or even unlock the device. Apple Pay offers security and convenience, and since its launch in Saudi Arabia in 2019, many Saudi customers have stopped using their plastic cards altogether.
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