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How to get an iPhone 4 in Kuwait

Getting an iPhone 4 is pretty simple but you need patience since the iPhone 4 is currently in short supply and can take up to 3 weeks to be delivered. To order an iPhone 4 you also need the following:

1) Local credit card
2) Aramex Shop&Ship account (not sure if it works with others like DHL)

Then what you need to do is go to the UK online Apple Store which is located at the following link address:
https://store.apple.com/uk

Once there click on the iPhones and then select the iPhone you want and check out. If you never ordered from Apple before you will have to create an account. Put your US Aramex mailbox as your billing address as your Kuwait base credit card address and then put your Aramex UK mailbox address as your shipping address. The UK iPhones are officially unlocked.

I placed my order on June 25th for a black 16GB iPhone 4 with a black Apple iPhone 4 Bumper. I paid the following:

iPHONE 4 BLACK 16GB 424.68 GBP
IPHONE 4 BUMPERS BLACK 21.28 GBP
——–
VAT 17.5% 78.04 GBP
——–
Final Amount (VAT included) 524.00 GBP

I paid with my NBK credit card and according to my bank statement the amount I paid in Kuwaiti Dinars was 236.570.

My iPhone 4 shipped on July 9th and arrived to my Aramex mailbox on July 15th. It showed up in my Aramex mailbox the same day and then shipped from the UK on July 16th. I received the iPhone today July 21st after being held in customs for 3 days.

The Aramex shipping charges were KD5.750 and that included the customs clearance fee. This was only for my iPhone 4, my iPhone Bumper is still held in customs. On a side note when the iPhone arrived it was unopened. Not just the actual iPhone box but the larger box the iPhone came inside had not been opened neither by Aramex nor customs.

I also passed by Zain and picked up a micro-sim card which you need for the iPhone 4. The sim card cost me KD5.

If you have any questions ask it below. Regarding antenna and reception problems, I believe this was blown out of proportion by the media and as Steve Jobs said it’s not a problem and 0.5% of the 3 million iPhone users have had reception issues. Many popular phones have similar reception issues which you will never have to experience if using the phone normally. If you have any questions regarding antenna problems click [Here]

Update: Some examples of phones that have a similar antenna issues
Samsung Galaxy S
Palm Pre
Google Nexus One
Google Droid
Nokia E71
Blackberry Bold

131 replies on “How to get an iPhone 4 in Kuwait”

Mine has been laying in its box in Kuwait for 2 weeks now, getting back home tomorrow, can’t wait to set it up! BTW the bumpers are not available for sale anymore and you might qualify for a refund!

If you have any questions ask it below. Regarding antenna and reception problems, I believe this was blown out of proportion by the media. <— Yes because the random YouTube videos highlighting the problem were all posted by David Pogue, and not actual users of the iPhone who encountered that problem.

You hold the phone "wrong", and the signal drops. How can that be fabricated by the media, and why would Apple send you free cases that aim to correct this if it wasn't a problem?

Google "iPhone silent recall" for more about this "media fabricated problem."

Hellraiser: i know i hope its an automatic refund

Bodie: Yes I agree, it was all blown out of proportion. As you can see on YouTube, there are videos for practically every new smart phone including blackberries, Nokia’s, Samsung, HTC etc.. that result in the same thing when held with the “death grip” which is signal drops. With the Samsung Galaxy S you can even replicate the infamous 1 finger death 🙂

steve jobs admitted to the problem. JOBS. the man behind the empire. so how are u saying that the media is blowing this out of proportion??

the most simple and basic purpose of a phone is to make calls. if the iphone, priced as it is, cannot simply do this task without encountering reception problems, then it really isnt doing the job as a phone now is it? true, the bumpers were reported by jobs himself as a solution, so kudos to him.

just cause u are an apple fan, as am i, doesnt mean u have to defend every aspect of every product. not all of us want to be apple whores.

Okay, I might sound really dumb… But I’ve got a question. If you have a phone with a normal-sized sim card, do you have to get a new phone number with the Micro Sim card?

I have Samsung Galaxy S powered by Android platform and I didn’t complain about antenna problems ….thanks!

mariam: Actually Steve Jobs held a press conference a few days ago and said there was no problem. If you are concerned about the iPhone 4 reception just don’t buy it. There are a ton of other phones you can buy if you want.

iPhone = One finger will kill the reception
Other phones = Hold it in a very specific grip in which your hands will be shaking because of how hard you have to hold it (as shown in the videos)

Stop lying to yourself and throwing blame on other phones.

Mariam hit it on the head. The guy admitted this was a problem, there was a news item about one of the guys who designed it telling Jobs it was going to be a problem, and Apple distributed “free cases” to fix the problem.

The Bumper you purchased? That was to fix the problem wasn’t it?

Bodie: Actually Steve Jobs held a press conference a few days ago and said there was no problem.

The bumper is so that I don’t break my iphone, the reception issue isn’t a problem since the problem existed in my previous iPhone, Nokia and Blackberry I owned and never noticed so I doubt I will notice it now.

If anything the reception is actually stronger because with my iPhone 3GS once I am at the office my 3G dies and I end up on the Edge network. With the iPhone 4 I still have 3G even though I am in the office.

Any news about the white one??
Ive been waiting for it since June.
Any one else interested in the white iPhone?

@ Mark

The point is that if you can cause a reception issue with just touching with your finger, than holding where your hand maybe touching it will disrupt the signal. It’s not a specific grip like with the other phones, it’s just your hand touching any part of the problematic area, which in most common ways of holding the iPhone you will be touching it.

But in the end you don’t have the problem cause you got the bumper. Most people buy a case for the phone anyways because they want to protect the phone so they don’t have the issue.

Q: Any changes to future antenna design?
A: Steve: We’re still working on this. We’re happy with the design. Maybe our wizards will come up with something better, but we don’t think there’s a problem here.

Yousef: If you try to use the iphone underwater it won’t work as well. Does that mean its a crappy phone? Hold the phone normally and you won’t have issues

Bodie: I guess you missed my response a few posts up

Mohd.Ashkanani: According to Apple they should start shipping end of the money in limited supplies. Last I checked though, you couldn’t order the white iphone from the website

I didn’t miss it. Deductive reasoning is at work here.

“My iPhone 4 shipped on July 9th and arrived to my Aramex mailbox on July 15th. It showed up in my Aramex mailbox the same day and then shipped from the UK on July 16th. I received the iPhone today July 21st after being held in customs for 3 days.”

I don’t expect you to notice the problem the first day you receive the phone.

No. As is the case with every new device, you’re too excited about it to notice its flaws after a couple of hours of messing around with it. Give it a few days is all I’m saying.

Guys its not a new issue it already exists on the iPhone 3GS, but they only wana make a buzz about the new iPhone..
Why didn’t anybody say anything about the problem when the 3GS hit the market??

@ Mark

You’re just being silly now and I don’t feel like I should respond to that with a thought out response.
The phone is amazing, one of my friends has it, and it’s pretty cool. I like it and you should enjoy it for the year that you have it, since you’ll be buying the next one when it comes out in a years time.

Bodie: heheh its my third iphone so the excitement kinda wore off like 2 years back 😉

yousef: Sorry yousef I dont see how I am being silly. You gave me an example of how you can kill the signal using 1 finger, i gave you an example of how to kill the whole phone with just water. But I do agree with you, the iphone is amazing.

Hmmm.. a post detailing how you got the phone on the day you got the phone is not a sign of excitement anymore. Got it.

The only way to show your excitement I guess is if at the end of this post was “Sent from my iPhone.”

I do not understand why people or how people can go into this aggressive state of putting down a product when they themselves have not tried it. Most of you are basing your thinking or opinions on what you have read on the internet or other media.

If it is such a bother, then do not buy the phone. That simple.

I personally do not want to comment on the phone until I get mine and know what the real deal is.

CH

Don’t compare the Nexus One to antenna issues that Apple is facing! I have had it for 7 months now with no reception issues! Everyone has had the antenna issues with the Nexus One!

Mark, everyone’s Antenna is faulty, but those who experience dropped calls are a few because that depends on how strong the signal is in said area. I have said this many times before, its a design flaw, nobody in the world has an iPhone 4 designed differently from everyone else. But the fact of the matter is Kuwait is covered with good reception so were fine here, have yet to experience any dropped calls.

I dont believe the antenna issues were as minor as you think. Here in the UK people have been complaining all over the place. Its a badly engineered trendy brick really.

BAJS: Yeah I think it also has to do with the fact that the iPhone is the most popular phone out there so its in the main spot light and is an easy target.

themanfromjapan stayinjapan

Thats true aswell Mark. I mean I am sure there are many Nokia and Sony Ericsson phones that had a crap load of faults but never reached the press due to lack of popularity. Either way man screw what other people say, if you like it and your happy with it, thats all that matters.

Mark, the amount of replies youve just dedicated in support of the iphone 4 are just mind blowing. you actually believe what you say? you know better than consumer reports? because they don’t recommend it.

mabrook 🙂

Humm
Samsung Galaxy S
Palm Pre
Google Nexus One
Google Droid
Nokia E71
Blackberry Bold

all these are the main competitors of the iphone 4 and lets exclude the Galaxy S coz we all know that it is better than iphone 4

now as you said Mark not all these mobiles having that problem with Antena my E71 works great

Mark i tried ordering it from apple/uk but in the billing addres section the country bit they only had a list of countries u can select from , kuwait was not included ! how do i over come this problem ? thanks

is anyone aware of any antenna issues with the 3GS? I’m sticking with my 3GS for now. I’ll save up enough for the iPhone 7.

I have had absolutely no issues with my iphone 4. I cant begin to tell you what a fantastic phone it is in every way. the battery life is freaking insane compared to my 2g. I got 2 days with wifi on througout. Best phone ever!

Its ridiculous how so many people are trying to point to a single flaw of the iPhone 4 that isn’t even that big of a deal.

We get it. You guys don’t like Apple products. A lot of other people do, hence why Apple is making a ton of profit now and why the iPads and iPhones are selling like crazy.

Get over it.

Mark, well i kind of expected you to say that. Lets put it this way. they have no control what so ever on the rating system, here comes the apple fanboys brigades, those who cares so much about the brand than its actual performance. But they also conduct tests on the product by experienced judges. If you were following the news, apple called for their last conference and admitted the antenna problem two days after consumer reports result. Have fun with your iphone but atleast admit the damn problem without pointing fingers at other phones that they also have the same issue, they are not, and if they do its not obvious as the iphone 4. I believe you have a shitload of phones, test them and see for yourself, steve fucked up and said, hey we marked the spot for ya, don’t touch here? what the fuck, seriously.

umm, its just a phone! Get over it.

Ipod 3-4-5 generations? itouch 2-3 generations? iphone 3-4 generations?

apple are really good at selling crap tht does roughly the same thing under “g” names which in simple translation just =’s a simple add-on.

Remember the days of ohh it has bluetooth now!

As long as everyone continues to go giddy on little ninny add-ons like brighter screens and secondary cameras – that allow them to call it a “new generation” apple will continue laughing all the way to the bank really.

Mainstream rubbish.

How long did it take to ship your iphone ? is it really 3 weeks or sooner ?

Its just too much waiting :p

Adam: Not sure you understood what I was saying. Consumer Report reviewed and gave the iPhone 4 the highest rating so far for a smart phone. If you log in and check their smart phone list the top spots are all taken by iPhone’s with the iPhone 4 taking the #1 spot. That’s based on the Consumer Reports review and testing of the iPhone.

What Consumer Reports did was remove the “Recommended” badge from their review. They didn’t mark the iPhone 4 as a “Don’t Buy”, or “Not Recommended”, they just removed the “Recommended” badge.

Here is an actual quote from the Consumer Reports post:

Ironically, aside from these reception glitches, our other tests placed the iPhone 4 atop the latest Ratings of smart phones. But we did not feel comfortable listing a phone with such a problem as “recommended,” and therefore have withheld that tag.
https://blogs.consumerreports.org/electronics/2010/07/apple-iphone4-iphone-4-antenna-design-flaw-update-fix-responsibility-consumers-fault-error-blame-consumer-reports-responds.html

and here is the link to their smartphone review chart with iPhone4 being #1. You need to log in to see the chart.

https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/electronics-computers/phones-mobile-devices/cell-phones-services/smart-phone-ratings/ratings-overview.htm?INTKEY=I95BEE0

So don’t believe everything you read on blogs and emails. Go to the source which is Consumer Reports.

Yes Kuwait has a desert climate hot dusty alcohol free country and the list gos on…., But with a little tweaks on your daily routine, you can avoid things that ruin your day !

it sound ridiculous but i stopped going to avenues from 5 to 10 PM to avoid seeing Hailags and weirdos o m5azaz , Go to GYM , friends gathering at my house having fun ( Movies . games etc ), winter outdoors ( barr ).

1 liter of Vodka wont help when you keep reading Parliament news, getting road rage all the time from tahoe drivers with Mashalla sticker in the back !

Well their review tells me its currently the best phone money can buy. And I, along with the 3 million people who’ve bought the iPhone and all the people who’re still waiting for their iphone which is currently sold out in every one of their physical and online stores will have to agree 🙂

Then again, maybe you’re right and consumer reports, me and everyone else is wrong…

This will be my 3rd iPhone too, I’m getting mine with a bumper that will not be used, instead I might get something called The Invisible Shield which will not alter how my phone looks.
I am currently on the iPhone 3G which I am also experiencing some 3G issues around Kuwait.
From my understanding is that iPhone 4 drops SOME bars when holding it the wrong way (and that does not apply to all iPhones as people have not had any issues). You loose your service only when in a bad receiving area which can be in most parts of the USA covered by AT&T as I hear they aren’t that good in the first place (I’ve never been to the states, I just heard this).

Ya jema3a 3endna el jihaz o 3ala kHa6 VIVA qematna el telefone !! o misakna mn kil mokan o eb jehat el antenna o maRA7 EL SERVICE !!!!!!!!!!

o mist3ed asawer bacher o a7e6 el video 3alashan etshofooNa

I just received my iPhone as well and Jobs was right ; this does change everything. I have minimal problems with the reception , although I must say that putting your hand over the antenna does affect the signal , but that can be easily avoided. So, far my reception has only gone down a few bars ( 2 maybe 3 or 4 bars at most .. ) , but it has not been totally crippled. When will the bumpers arrive though ?

Awalan halshay hatha mawjod bel 3G o 3GS O I’ve been using mine for a year now so la7ad yetfalsaf ygol halmshkela bas bel iphone 4.. I can make the service go down from 5 bars to 1 bel 3GS so enough of that design flaw crap.. Thaneyan i also own BB Bold 9700 o i can make it go from 5 bars to 1 too.. Bas 3ashan u can make it go down lazm ebmokan ilservice feh mo qawy

I have a question, I’ve been told that I cannot buy the iPhone 4 from the states and get it to work in Kuwait.
Now that Zain offers the micro SIM-card thing, is the problem solved? Will I be able to get one from the states?

wow some people have no life arguing over a damn phone for weeks now. Get over it! if you’ve got thee phone, congratulations, and if you didn’t, congratulations as well, you just saved 200+ kd over a piece of crap that will be obsolete in 24months, or less.

The funny fact is that most of these negative remarks about iPhone comes from people who never own an iPhone or never bought the iPhone 4 with a minor exception ofcourse !

In general iPhone users are happy users and we don’t have a problem with iPhone 4 so called reception problem .. The iPhone is a very high tech engineered device and best phone that was ever made by human on earth that’s what I personally think and I am so happy with it.

If u don’t like it don’t buy it go get a nokia as simple as that but don’t keep bitching about it.

No they’re two different things. Firstly you can get a internet connect service for KD7 a month, you’d be limited to 1GB of download a month but even with my heavy use I usually hit 250MB a month only.

The micro-sim is just a sim card, you swap yours with that so whatever service you had on your older sim u will still have on your micro sim.

Emmas: The US iPhone is locked, the UK one is unlocked. This means the UK iphone will work with a telecom in Kuwait while the US iPhone will only work with the AT&T network in the States.

i have a question, does anyone know where i can find the micro-sim card adaptor? its basically a small piece of plastic that u put ur micro sim card inside to make it a full size again making it easy to switch the sim card between 2 phones easily

Congrats Mark. I am waiting for the iPhone to hit Canada to get the unlocked version (I travel a lot and don’t want to get stuck with AT&T only iPhone again). I almost ordered from the UK but turned out Aramex don’t ship from UK to US. But the info you provided is good and will save my friends in Kuwait time and money.

waht’s the billing address for the NBK credit card? i tried to call NBK about that but no reply for my question

Yup, there are some crazy people out there. I just can’t wait for my iPhone to get here on Sunday to use FaceTime.

Overheard someone mention an iphone 4g 2nd generation model to be released in August…can anyone verify??

@musty

I doubt it since Jobs himself said that it is not a big issue.. WWDC is in September if I’m not mistaken, if there are any fixes he would mention them then (to probably get released sometime close to Christmas).. I don’t think so though. Apple is still selling the iPhones and making a shitload of money I don’t think they will change the iPhone this soon.

This can all change, however, if Apple order a recall for their phones.

Enough of that nonsense, tested the the iphone 4 for 3 days and it works great, don’t like it? Then don’t buy it damnit.. Why r u all whinning about a phone u don’t own?!

@ musty
No iphone 4 hardware fix for this year , but we may expect a new improved iphone 4G on may 2011 !

When I checked the price, the iPhone 4 16GB BLACK costs £499 while you say it costs only 424GBP. Whaich one do I consider? I’m confused.

Pound sterling or GBP?

Mark, Could you answer my question please?

You said: Put your billing address as your Kuwait base credit card address and then put your Aramex UK forwarding mailbox address as your shipping address.

But in the billing address there is no Kuwait !! shloon ent 7a6et el kuwait o mako kuwait !!

Put your US Aramex mailbox as your billing address and then put your Aramex UK mailbox address as your shipping address. Mark there is some confusion in the message i really am confused where us aramex mailbox and uk aramex mailbox is coming and what will be the actual address to be. If you could please reply to this .
Thanks

jeeee… stop picking on the guy, if u TRIED the iphone 4 and YOU encountered the antenna problem, then post about what u experienced, but if u just read it somewhere, then don’t pass the buck on everyone writes about something u don’t like, just move on, buy whatever u like (alcatel for instance) and live happily after…

Mark iasked u earlier where will be u putting the us mailbox as billing and uk as ur shipping and what address will it be and how will be the sendong over kuwait please if u can really explain in detail steps its going to be really surprise. Thanks

Mark what did you choose for your payment method ?

I never knew you can use your local credit card to purchase things online.

Mark, why do u emphasize on the credit to be a Local Credit Card? Can’t i have a credit card that is not local, well i basically dont have enuf credit limit on my Gulfbank Card to buy the iPhone…

Can i use a credit card that is not from kuwait… ??????????

ساب الحمااااار ومسك البردعه !! هههههههههههههه
that was an egyption joke !!! which it fits here !!! i mean on most of the comments !!
guys !! u like the fone buy it !!! u dont !! then get lost and get ur self a nokia or some other stupid fone !!!
it called smart for one reason !! its smart and need a brain ! nokia and other dumb fones would fit for ppl who make a big fuz about of this !!!

Mark
Thanks for the inforamtion. I wanetd to ask about something, you said
“Put your US Aramex mailbox as your billing address as your Kuwait base credit card address and then put your Aramex UK mailbox address as your shipping address. The UK iPhones are officially unlocked”

Cant i use my UK address as the billing address or its better to use the USA address?

hi mark

i have 2 questions for you
1.is the iPhone 4 actually unlocked in the UK and if so is there any thing on apple UK that proves it? (i know it is a silly question but i want to be sure )
2. when i make an Aramex Shop&Ship account the will give me an US Aramex mailbox and an Aramex UK mailbox address

gratz for the phone

please answer as fast as you can

i forgot this can i buy some thing on apple UK using an apple Kuwait account or do i need a new one ?

Apple is the one who is keeping the problem alive, they just can’t let it go. No ***** that if you cover the antenna its reception will go down. Problem is that the iphone can lose its signal simply by the use of 2 fingers touching the side, while dropping signal on a droid means covering the huge 4.3 inch phone from top to bottom in a extermely awkward grip. Also the dropped bars on the Droid dont result in dropped calls, or dropped data speed.

.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDzfAlGQxwM

I am going to do this from Jordan, i already have an American iTunes store account and a “Me” e-mail address, can i use them to sign in and finish the buying process??

Hi Mark
i was wondering where can i find the address for my Us Aramax mail box after making my account ?

I got the new iPhone 4 from the states and got micro chip by zain , but when I put the chip inside the chip holder it shows up no signal and it says sim card failure can anyone help or give me advise on what to do

guys, why so much hate for the iphone???? i use nokiaN97 bought the dam thing for 250 from alghanim…later it was known that it has issues with the GPS and guess what it does have issues as i cant use the gps on it anymore due to antenna issues… iphone4 looks great and would surely like to have one…but the antenna issue also does not look to be blown out of context. the iphone has to have some issue with the design else CR (consumer report) would surely recommend it. to all the apple fans, no matter what you say, there is a fault thats why apple’s offering free bumpers…else they would not. need more proof then check the testing of the antenna on CR’s report of engineers. YES the band can fix the issue…but do i want a band for my 700USD iphone??? not me…

plp should stop defending apple like its their own company… there might not be an issue in kuwait due to kuwait being small and having good cell service…

the fact of the matter is that reception drops if you hold the phone in a certain way (i have yet to see any OTHER phone do that)

BTW- you like it then get it….for good or worse!!! just stop defending the fact that there are no antenna issue with it. coz, every report and tec company as endorsed the fact that there is issue with it. apple just cant recall the 1.6M iphones (any idea how much loss would apple be in????) insted reduce your profit and shut the cusytomers by giving them a bumper (reduces profit, but still on the green)

Heey a few hours ago i thought i was stuck and that i couldnt order the iphone 4, then aramex poped into my mind. But why do i have to put my us aramex for the billing adress? its fine to put another adressfor billing? and how many days did it take from the day you ordered it from apple to the day you received it?
please if you can reply asap becasue i want to
order it today.
Thank You;)

mark i couldn’t order it with my Kuwaiti credit card using aramex us shipping address as my billing address it kept rejecting the card because it’s not the card’s real billing address, i don’t know how you could have ordered it but i think they updated there site since they were flooded with orders from outside the UK, what a shame i really wanted one, i guess the answer is to get one from here and get ripped off.

Hi,

Regarding micro simcard :

How long it took them to give your micro sim card ? do we have to go to specific Zain branch to get it ?? I don’t want to change my number, I just want to change my simcard to micro, does it make any difference.

Thnaks alot ):

STRE3TT

Why don’t you pick up ur phone and call Aramex?! Save ur time waiting the answer?!?!

Mark;
Ya36eek el 3afya 3ala el baal el 6weel elle 3endk :p

Zita
All zain branches gor microsim and u don have to change ur number… U will change the sim card only

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