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Apple Electronics First Impression Kuwait Shopping

First iPad in Kuwait

Just got hold of an iPad from X-Cite to review and check out. It just arrived from the States and it’s one of the first iPads in Kuwait. So far my first impression is that the iPad looks even cooler than the pictures, it’s really an incredible device I love it, the screen is amazing, better than the screen of my MacBook which I’m currently typing on. X-Cite just got a small batch of iPads today and they’re on display at their Avenues X-Cite branch so you can go and try them out.

I’m going to play around with my review unit for a bit more and post some more details later today. I’m curious to see if I’ll be able to buy books from the iTunes store.

X-Cite are getting the 16GB iPad with WiFi and the price is KD299. If you want to pre-order an iPad you need to leave a KD50 deposit and you can only book one unit since quantities are limited. It’s first come first served. You can only pre-order the iPad from the Avenues X-Cite branch starting at 7PM today. The earlier you book, the higher the chance you get your iPad in one of their next shipments. As an added bonus, if you mention my blog when booking you will get a free flash drive. If you want to play with an iPad pass by the Avenues X-Cite branch after 7PM today since that’s when they will go on display.

84 replies on “First iPad in Kuwait”

How the hell is Apple going to market this device? It’s just an enlarged iPod touch…and with no flash support? Plus, this is no replacement for a laptop as it is a “closed-system.” You can’t download whichever application you want unless it’s from the AppStore. I personally think it’s a waste of money, and I would not want one.
Goodluck Apple

I have yet to see it, but if i can work on my basic files, watch a movie, see visual content as opposed to just reading text type of readers, then I am all for it. Anyways, I dont want to form an opinion till I go and check it out at Xcite.. what time is it available? Might as well see if I can get a free flash drive too!

Wow, thats amazing. i am cancelling all my plans for this evening and heading out to X-cite to touch and feel the iPad!

what good is a free flash drive with an iPad?– it can’t connect to the thing, can it?
(being snarky there bc/ I think it’s missing a lot of features– but seriously, does the iPad have a USB port?)
-r-

KD299?????????????????
$1,036.40 US for a 16gb wifi only?

I feel sorry for the saps who would pay for DOUBLE the price for one of these here in Kuwait from a store. Please buy online and save your $$$ and intelligence.

Also, goodbye Apple? Hahaha!!!!! The iPad saw an estimated 700,000 sold on DAY ONE! Compared to the iPhone’s 270,000. Yeah….. so far so profit for Apple.

the hell with Xcite for charging people more than twice the price! Just ordered it off Apple and getting it send to a me.

The local price aside, I never buy the first generation of anything. The third is usually the sweet spot. That’s when they work out the bugs and add the missing features based on real life experiences. For now, my Archos 7 will do.

fyi, I went to the xcite store and asked the guys why is it priced so high over US prices. They said they actually few in some people carrying these machines from the US last night and the price incudes this cost. Considering Kuwait is the first country outside US to indroduce it, it is not too bad. It will only be released in the Middle East after 3 months. Now if you compare it to iPhone price, it isnt too bad!

fyi, I went to the xcite store and asked the guys why is it priced so high over US prices. They said they actually few in some people carrying these machines from the US last night and the price incudes this cost. Considering Kuwait is the first country outside US to indroduce it, it is not too bad. It will only be released in the Middle East after 3 months. Now if you compare it to iPhone price, it isnt too bad! any way i booked one for myself

Mark you are normally very much in to where is the best buy…you forgot to mention how much it would cost to order from US + shipping 😉

Currently only places u can buy online are apple store and eBay. Apple store are cancelling orders sent to forwarding addresses like shop and ship while eBay is just slightly cheaper than Xcite. If you’re not in a hurry just wait until they become more available.

still not on the Ipad
woudnt it be wicked if the invented a wireless flash drive << COPY RIGHTED !!

They were handing out flyers in Avenues with the caption “iPad…I can’t believe it’s already here”.
I assumed the price would be somewhere in the 200KD range for the 16GB wifi version, but 299 is just too much.

Iam Waiting for the WiFi-3G model, a3teqed enah yeswa coz kil sharikat el itisalat bel kuwait now will bring the micro sim card this month or the next month. o a3teqed ena se3ra wayid zain just $30 ezyada,

X-Cite laish chithi el PRICE !!!!!!!!!! lol , mako a7d el7een mayegdar ya36lib mn bara even if apple cannot ship it to forwarding addresses as mark said,
kil wa7id 3enda a7d bel US o yegdar eyebla !!!

bs the price mal X-Cite 7ada QAWE !!!!!!!!!!!!!

why would i pay so much money to reserve an ipad from xcite? i would consider this ONLY if i could buy it right on the spot! and they are saying “i cant believe, its already here.” yeah rite! only two pieces on display does not count…

which store is preferably the best one in terms of price and customer service ?
Alghanim
Eureka
Electozan.

?

It’s a premium you pay so you can have it now. If you don’t want it now you can get it cheaper later. To you its a ripoff to someone else it’s a great chance to own it first.

meh, ipad? who needs one of those?

apple has realized how stupid some people are…and theyre making the most out of it.

YAY, A PRETTY SCREEN YOU CAN TOUCH AND PLAY WITH..FANCYYY!

after the ipod, apple just kind of overdid it with the ipod touch and now the ipad. what would be cool, is a full on laptop substitute device in the form of an ipad/tablet by apple.
id buy that in a heartbeat. not the ipad.

guys , ehniiii 3adiii el people yshtrooon ma yfrg 3ndhOm el price whatever ! , 299 Kd OR Dollar yaaay iPad mno gadhaa , huh ! 300 KD 3ala iPad ma yswaa a5th macbook air a7sn 😛

I prefer to order the iPad from Apple.com, it is very cheaper than the X-City.
OMG!! Why this price ??

I tried to buy 1 online but it didnt work with me since they won’t ship it to outside the state… It is really a nice product so i went to X-cite and reserved one… The price is reasonable for a product which has just been released in the US and for a person who wants to be unique and have the latest technology before any1 else…
Big Clap for for X-cite for getting the product at the same time with the US market…

Apple has USB and SD Card adapter , saw them on the site which is sold as a separate accessory but it is not priced yet. It remains to be seen, though, if the adapter-provided USB port will allow you to hook in other peripherals , looks like with cameras they do. apple will try to milk as much as pennies they can to stop using flashes lol

10 years ago Bill Gates held up something similar and said that in the next 10 years or so this will be the most sought after computer in the world.

The JooJoo is being launched very soon, its the Ipad’s rival.

3 – 5 years from now, every house hold will have an Ipad or something similar.

Yes, it might not do anything any other computer/laptop doesn’t – the difference is how you do it and how you pass it around. I still have not seen or tried it, but I think the beauty of it is how it plays with your emotions while using it. Do I want one? you bet I do.

Mark,

I hope you don’t mind me posting here but since it is a related subject I thought it would be useful to readers.

We are selling (a very limited quantity) the Apple iPad 32 GB Wifi for 249KD at we-sell-them.com and delivery will start on April 10th.

screw the price…at least someone took the initiative to get it down to kuwait so we can see what the hype is all about..saw it today in x-cite avenues..looks real sleek..and i love it ! Everything looks so magnified in it, the keyboard , icons . The screen protector is really needed because looks like it gets messy quickly. I think the device will all depend on the apps it will run . My friend pre-ordered one..supposedly he might get it next week…lets see if i really need it after he gets it , but would be great if i got one to play around with NOW 🙁

screen protector is not needed. if it gets smudgy it will still get smudgy with the screen protector.

iPhone apps look like crap on the iPad (including mine). iPad apps are the only apps i am going to install on it.

Guys why are you all so angry ??

X-cite can sell at whatever price they want but that doesn’t mean you have to purchase it from them. They are just another supplier that carry the iPad, at the end of the day, its your decision from whom you want to buy.

I agree with Beees BIG clap for not only X-cite, but for all supplier’s who are getting the iPad from the US.

BTW “iPad order limit: two per customer” at Apple Store

Yeah , i am sure now the appl store will be filled with the ipad apps anyway , with all the hype and the app developing that’s going on. Are the telecom companies getting out micro sim here anytime soon , if not the 3G is pointless here ?

just thought i wud share with u a comment i read at qortuba.org regarding ipad prices, and i quote:

“majed664 says:
April 5, 2010 at 6:41 pm

x-cite price:
16GB 299KD
————–
iCity price:
16GB 275KD
32GB 320KD
64GB 375KD
————–
Electrozan price:
Coming Soon . . . . . . . . . .”

What a rip off, 299 for a 16 GB wifi only when you can get a 64GB +3g for cheaper in the states. Which I already did.

I have 3 for sale right now!
Thats if you want to pay a little lower than the excite price!
2 new in box, one open with added apps and apple case.
kd 290 for the new ones and 220 for the open one.
In Salmiya.

Um Mark, what are you talking about? I already have my 3g+wifi one preordered from the states. 64GB for less than 299! That is a ripoff no matter how you phrase it. Its the lower model at double the price.

Bajs: Nevermind, just noticed you said pre-ordered. A LOT of people pre-ordered the iPad, all their orders got canceled before they shipped because Apple is refusing to mail them out to forwarding addresses. So unless you have someone in the US buying it for you and shipping it, you won’t be getting you iPad from Apple sent to your Shop&Ship…

A friend is buying it for me Mark. Sent him the money through paypal and he is the one who is sending the thing ti my mail forwarding box at DHL.

ah ok that explains it. Well thats what I am doing as well but my argument above was that currently peoples options are very limited to where and how they can buy an iPad so thats why you’ll find high prices. Its exactly like how when the iPhone gets released. First couple of months the prices are very high and then it drops down.

Yeah that is true, the Kuwait Mall prices are perfect imo. Its just the alghanim prices that make me angry at how big retailers overcharge whatever they want and nobody can do anything about it.

How come the iPad is not available on amazon yet? How long does it usually take for online retailers to get their hands on new apple products?

BJAS: DHL will charge a lot for tax, go back to Aramex its just 1KD for anything i ordered recently where DHL charges 17.5KD per PHONE delivered through there

and Fedex pickup is 10-15 or 18KD per phone too

i started to love aramex again.

VPN + Netflix = own. Except Netflix is really buggy at the moment even with 15MbPS cable in the US. Mark, did you try ABC with a US proxy yet?

My grandson is being deployed to Kuwait and I am wondering how his
iPad will survive the sand. Any suggestions?

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