Apple’s online store for Saudi Arabia will offer service and support directly from Apple in Arabic for the very first time. Starting in 2026, Apple will open several flagship Apple Store locations and is in the initial stages for a retail store in Diriyah.
In an Apple press release, Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, said, “We’re excited to be expanding here in Saudi Arabia with the launch of the Apple Store online next year, and the first of several flagship Apple Store locations starting in 2026, including an iconic store at the stunning site of Diriyah coming later. Our teams are looking forward to deepening our connections with customers, and to bringing the best of Apple to help people across this country explore their passions, build their businesses, and take their ideas to the next level.”
While Apple’s retail presence is critical to its growth in the region, it has already invested heavily in Saudi Arabia. Aarti Nagraj in The National reports:
“Over the past five years, Apple has spent more than $2.66 billion with companies across the country… It also opened the Apple Developer Academy in Riyadh in 2021 in partnership with the Saudi government, Tuwaiq Academy and Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University. The all-women academy offers training for coders, designers and entrepreneurs, and nearly 2,000 students have completed programming courses there… Apple said on Monday that it will also boost its academy programmes and partnerships in Saudi Arabia. This summer, the company held the country’s first coed Apple Foundation Programme to teach students the fundamentals of coding and app development, with a focus on gaming.”
“Apple Developer Academy graduates are not alone in pursuing careers in the country’s thriving iOS app economy. The Saudi developer community is a powerful force for economic growth, supporting jobs across the country at companies large and small. And the app economy is growing at a rapid pace as more coders, entrepreneurs, and creators utilize the App Store and Apple’s many developer tools to enter the market. Since 2019, earnings for developers in Saudi Arabia are up over 1,750 percent.”
Also of interest is that with the opening of its new metro, Riyadh joins over 250 cities where users can ride transit with Apple Pay. “Riyadh is also the first city in the Middle East where users can ride the metro and buses with Express Mode, a seamless and secure way to tap and pay for transit by simply holding an iPhone or Apple Watch near a reader — no need to wake or even unlock the device.”
Apple also announce plans to open its fifth store in the UAE next year with a store in Al Ain.
Founded in 1984, Apple employs more than 150,000 people and is valued at $3.670 trillion as of December 2024.
