Apple brings its online retail store to Saudi Arabia
As part of its expansion into Saudi Arabia, Apple will offer support and engraving in Arabic on its Saudi Arabian site. Apple is releasing its Store app in Saudi Arabia as well, and also plans on opening its first physical locations in 2026. Though Apple previously offered its App Store in the country, people in Saudi Arabia had to purchase Apple products through authorized resellers.
Apple's store launch aligns with a broader trend of tech companies investing more in Saudi Arabia, despite the country facing numerous human rights issues. During President Donald Trump's visit to the Middle East in May, Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced the formation of Humain, a new AI company owned by the country's Public Investment Fund. Several US-based tech firms, including Amazon, Google, Nvidia, and AMD, revealed multi-billion-dollar partnerships with the state-backed firm on the same day.
Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.
See All by Emma Roth
Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.
See All Apple
Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.
See All iPhone
Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.
See All News
Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.
See All Policy
Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.
See All Tech
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Tom's Guide
37 minutes ago
- Tom's Guide
I've been using the iPhone 15 Pro Max for a year — here's why I don't plan on upgrading to the iPhone 17 Pro Max
For the last year, I have been using the iPhone 15 Pro Max as my main phone, and, for the most part, I am very happy with it. However, I am faced with an issue as the iPhone 17 Pro Max is on the horizon. While we don't know anything official about the next generation of iPhones, there have been a lot of rumors about what Apple could change and update. For the most part, the rumored iPhone 17 Pro Max looks like a marked improvement in some places, but I can honestly say that I'm just not that interested. In the interest of fairness, I will say that I am one of those people who dislikes upgrading (I kept my iPhone 12 for far longer than I should have done.) However, I have noticed that with modern phones, there is even less push to do so. This is down to several different factors, but here are the main ones that I find when looking at the iPhone 17 Pro Max. iPhone 15 Pro Max iPhone 17 Pro Max (rumored) Display 6.7-inch OLED 6.9-inch OLED CPU A17 Pro A19 Pro Storage 256GB, 512GB, 1TB 256GB, 512GB, 1TB RAM 8GB 12GB Rear cameras 48MP main/12MP ultrawide/12MP telephoto w/ 5x zoom 48MP main, 48MP telephoto, 48MP ultrawide Front camera 12MP 24MP Battery 4,422 mAh 5,000 mAh To get the elephant out of the room, I'm really not a big fan of the rumored new design of the iPhone 17 Pro line. This is obviously a personal preference, but the expanded camera block just doesn't appeal to me. Now, I could just get a case for the phone, but most of the leaked cases we've seen don't appear to cover the area that I would want covered. When it comes to display size, the iPhone 17 Pro Max seemingly has the same 6.9-inch display that we saw with the iPhone 16 Pro Max, although there are rumors that the Dynamic Island could be smaller. That might be disappointing for someone with the latest iPhone, but it's still a bigger screen than my iPhone 15 Pro Max's 6.7-inch display. However, having tried the latest iPhone, I do find that they tend to be nearly too big for my pockets. The iPhone 17 Pro Max is also rumored to feature a pretty impressive trio of cameras, at least compared to the ones I have on my current iPhone. However, and again, this is a more personal thing, getting a 48MP Ultrawide and a 48MP telephoto lens doesn't really mean much to me. While Apple might be aiming to focus on videographers and content creators, I am neither and rarely use more than the base camera. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. While hardware improvements like the camera and screen are nice, one of the main things I look for is improved performance. While we don't have any leaks about the A19's performance, we do know that the A19 Pro chip could be built using TSMC's 3nm process. If this is true, it would mean a marked performance improvement. However, it's worth noting that Apple phones are already some of the more powerful devices you can buy. While the new chips might be more powerful, at a certain point, the difference becomes negligible to the average user. It isn't just the chips that are likely going to be better, as Apple is reportedly increasing in RAM, from 8GB to 12GB. Now, this isn't a change that you might notice straight away, but it is one that Apple has needed to make for a while. As a brief bit of history, the majority of Apple phones only have 6GB of RAM, but with Apple Intelligence needing at least 2GB to function, the iPhone 15 Pro series and the iPhone 16 series all saw an increase. It was a necessary change at the time, and the same is true with this 12 GB improvement. However, I worry it might lead to some problems in the future. As I said, 12GB of RAM isn't the biggest difference when it comes to performance, but what it does mean is that Apple Intelligence features can begin to improve. Let's be real, Apple's AI has had some real issues, even though it has only been released on a few devices. Part of this has been Apple's inexperience with using AI, but it's also down to the self-imposed limitations Apple placed on itself. If the iPhone 17 series launches with more RAM, it will give Apple more to play with, but it leaves the rest of us with a bit of a predicament. Considering Apple was happy to leave most of its range on the cutting room floor when it came to Apple Intelligence, I have no doubt a big push will be made for more features on the next generation of iPhones, features that the rest of us will never see. On the other hand, if I wanted the best AI experience, I would probably just use one of the best Android phones instead. Apple would have to release something really impressive to convince me that I needed the new phone, and I don't know if Apple is capable of that just yet. Not to mention, the iPhone 15 Pro Max will be supported with software updates for at least another three years, and the phone is more than powerful enough for what I use it for. We're hanging onto our phones for longer than ever, meaning companies have to really produce something spectacular to draw customers. As it stands, I don't see the iPhone 17 Pro Max being the phone to get me to upgrade to, although if I had an iPhone 14 Pro Max, I might be convinced otherwise. However, the iPhone 18 Pro Max, which could be getting TSMC's 2nm chip process, is another story. In the interest of fairness, these rumors and leaks have to be taken with a grain of salt. There's a lot we don't know, and many details likely won't match the finished product. The best thing we can do is wait for Apple to officially announce the phone to make up our minds. On that note, we're expecting Apple to release the phones in September, as long as it follows its usual trends.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Instagram's new location sharing map: how it works and how to turn it off
Instagram's new location-sharing Map feature is raising privacy concerns among some users, who worry their whereabouts could be tracked or misused. Oprah Winfrey says highly effective leaders use the 3-sentence rule to make every meeting more productive August full moon tonight? The 'Sturgeon Moon' is coming: Here's when to see it—and what it means for the Perseid meteor shower This con is robbing seniors blind—and growing fast Meta announced the rollout this week, introducing a map that lets U.S. users share their locations and see location-based content from friends—similar to Snapchat's Snap Map or Apple's Find My. This feature is opt-in and off by default. Users also have the option to turn off location sharing 'at any time,' Meta said in a release. Here's how to do it. Accessing the Map feature Open the Instagram app and tap the arrow icon in the top right of your home feed to open Messages. The Map option should appear at the top of your inbox. The first time you open Map, you'll see a screen labeled 'Who can see your location.' You can choose to share it with: Friends (followers you follow back) Your Close Friends list Selected users No one Updating your settings To update your preferences, navigate to your profile, tap the settings icon in the top-right corner, select 'Story, live and location,' then choose 'Location sharing.' From there, you can adjust who sees your location. On the Map, different icons indicate your status: A blue arrow means you're sharing your location with your selected audience. A red dot indicates you're not sharing your location. An orange triangle means you need to enable location permissions on your device to share your location. How to turn off location services entirely To shut off location services for Instagram on an iPhone, open Settings and tap through from Privacy & Security to Location Services. Scroll to Instagram and select 'Never.' To turn off location services for Instagram on an Android device, open your phone's settings and scroll to Apps. Select Instagram, then tap Permissions and choose Location. From here, you can select 'Don't allow' to completely block location access, or opt for 'Allow only while using the app' or 'Ask every time' for more control. (You can also toggle off precise location if you prefer.) Even with location sharing off, you can still see friends who share their location with you. If you enable it, your location updates whenever you open the app or return to it from the background, Meta says. For teen users Parents with supervision enabled can control whether their child has access to location sharing, see who they're sharing with, and receive notifications if location sharing is turned on. This post originally appeared at to get the Fast Company newsletter:
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
2 Poundland stores in South Wales closing TODAY - is your local shop affected?
Two Poundland stores in South Wales are being closed for good today (Sunday, August 10). The retailer revealed in June that it planned to shut 68 shops and two warehouses in the UK following its takeover by investment firm Gordon Brothers. The closures place more than 1,300 jobs at risk. Poundland also indicated it will shut more UK stores in the coming years under the new ownership. UK high street shops that no longer exist There are currently around 800 Poundland stores across the UK and Ireland, but this is expected to drop to around 650 or 700 following the overhaul. Poundland stores in South Wales closing today Last month, Poundland confirmed the location of 25 stores that will close under its restructuring and recovery plan. This included two sites in South Wales: Cardiff Valegate Ammanford Both these stores will shut for good today (August 10). The stores, according to the Poundland website, will be open from 10am until 4pm, so shoppers can pay one last visit before they close. Meanwhile, Poundland in Pontypool will also close next month, on September 7. Poundland's retail director, Darren MacDonald, said: 'It is, of course, sincerely regrettable that our recovery plans include any store closures, but sadly that's necessary if we're to achieve our goal of securing the future of thousands of jobs and hundreds of stores. RECOMMENDED READING: Beauty brand that's 'highlight of any shopping trip' opening new South Wales store US burger chain 'better than McDonald's' to open second UK store in South Wales New Look to close South Wales store in the coming days - see when and where 'While our anticipated network of around 650-700 stores remains a sizeable one, we entirely understand how disappointing it will be for customers when one nearby, closes. 'Nevertheless, we look forward to continuing to welcome them to a nearby Poundland. 'It goes without saying that we will work closely with colleagues through a formal consultation process in stores scheduled to close, exploring any suitable alternative roles. That work is underway.'
