Apple’s new iPhone 5s and 5c smartphone models will be available in Australian stores from 8am tomorrow with some Qantas staff set to get a big return by on-selling the new smartphones in the Middle East.
The new models have received lukewarm reviews and press notices, and observers will be interested to see if they spark midnight queues at Apple stores round the country, as new previous new releases have.
Pricing has been widely criticised, with the flagship 5s model – the first smartphone to feature 64-bit processing – starting at $869, and the 5c, which comes in a coloured plastic casing, at $739.
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For those looking to make a fast buck, the
new iPhone 5S won’t be available in the Middle East resulting in Middle East traders adding over $1,000 for the privilege of getting a fully imported model.
ChannelNews has been told that airline
staff from Emirates and Qantas have been approached to buy up the new iPhone in
Australia with a guaranteed sale waiting for them in the Middle East.
A senior Qantas employee said “Traders know
where airline staff stay and they often approach staff to fly in goods. A lot
of staff do it as their bank accounts are credited with the money to buy goods
prior to having to make a purchase”.
Some shopkeepers and online retailers in
Dubai are offering to supply the 5S – which Apple prices online at $869 for the
16 GB unlocked version in Australia for 6000 U.A.E. dirhams, or roughly $1,650.
An online retailer told The Wall Street
Journal the smartphone can be collected late Friday local time. He didn’t
specify the source country for these phones, but given that several countries
where the handset is being officially launched in are a few hours ahead of
Dubai, and only a relatively short direct flight away – it doesn’t seem an
impossible feat.
