December 9, 2024 – Apple has announced its plans to launch an online store in Saudi Arabia by the summer of 2025, offering a comprehensive range of products, services, and Arabic language support. In a further expansion move, the tech giant intends to open the first of several flagship retail stores in the country starting from 2026, aiming to provide a more convenient shopping experience for local consumers. Notably, Apple is eyeing to establish an iconic retail presence in Diriyah, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
CEO Tim Cook expressed his enthusiasm, stating, “Our team is looking forward to building deeper connections with local customers and empowering the people of Saudi Arabia to explore their passions, advance their careers, and elevate their ideas to new levels with Apple’s best products.”
This retail expansion follows Apple’s investments in Saudi Arabia, which include the establishment of the region’s first Apple Developer Academy in Riyadh in 2021, a collaboration with the Saudi government, Tuwaiq Academy, and Princess Nourah University. The Academy provides world-class training to aspiring programmers, designers, and entrepreneurs, preparing them for careers in the growing app economy of Saudi Arabia.
Nearly 2000 students have already completed programming courses and are publishing apps on the App Store for both local and global audiences. Apple is expanding learning opportunities through its academy programs and partnerships. This summer, the company hosted Saudi Arabia’s first co-educational Apple Basic course, a month-long program focusing on coding, app development, and game development. Apple plans to scale up these co-educational basic courses, with the next set of sessions commencing in the spring of 2025.
According to Apple, the income of Saudi Arabian developers has grown by over 1750% since 2019.
Furthermore, with the opening of a new metro line earlier this month, Riyadh has become one of over 250 cities globally where Apple Pay can be used for public transportation.
