News

Apple Dubai Mall Opens April 27

Apple today premiered its newest store in the Middle East, Apple Dubai Mall, with a 186-foot curved storefront and balcony overlooking Burj Khalifa and the Dubai Fountain. Envisioned as a space for the community to gather, learn and be entertained, Apple Dubai Mall will serve as a venue to watch the spectacular evening fountain shows and host Apple’s new global in-store experience, “Today at Apple,” also announced today.

“We view our stores as a modern-day town square, where visitors come to shop, be inspired, learn or connect with others in their community,” said Angela Ahrendts, Apple’s senior vice president of Retail. “And what better place to come together than overlooking Dubai’s epicenter, where the Dubai Fountain, Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall meet. We are so honoured to have a home at one of the world’s most incredible and dynamic intersections.”

At the heart of every Apple Store is the drive to educate and inspire. “Today at Apple” will launch at Apple Dubai Mall and in all 495 Apple Stores next month with new sessions across photo and video, music, coding, art and design, and more, led by highly-trained team members. Apple Dubai Mall will also host high-profile events including live music, intimate conversations with film-makers and photographers, and live workshops with some of the world’s top talent. Events on opening day include Live Art with Myneandyours, and Artist Duos with musician Hamdan Al Abri and artist Sultan Al Ramahi.

New Creative Pros, the liberal arts equivalent to Apple’s technical Geniuses, will teach “Today at Apple” sessions and offer individual advice and training to help customers take their creative skills to the next level. All of the store’s 148 employees are ready to welcome customers from around the world and speak a collective 45 languages.

Like many of Apple’s other significant stores, Apple Dubai Mall aims to be open and transparent, blurring the barriers between inside and out, to erase the boundaries between the store and the community. To mitigate Dubai’s climate, Foster + Partners designed eighteen 37.5-foot-high motorised “Solar Wings” that respond to the ever-changing environmental conditions. When the sun is at its hottest they cool the store, and in the evenings they open to welcome everyone to the public terrace. Inspired by the traditional Arabic Mashrabiya, each “Solar Wing” is locally fabricated from 340 carbon fibre reinforced polymer rods, and at 180 feet wide, the 18 panels make up one of the world’s largest kinetic art installations.

Apple’s first two stores in the United Arab Emirates have welcomed more than 4 million visitors since opening in Dubai and Abu Dhabi 18 months ago. Apple will reach even more visitors from around the world at Dubai Mall, Emaar’s flagship mega-project and the world’s most-visited retail and lifestyle destination, welcoming over 80 million visitors for the past three consecutive years. Apple’s location overlooking the lake will stay open as late as midnight to everyone exploring the area.

Upcoming events, registration and more information is available at: apple.com/ae/retail/dubaimall.

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Joanne Carter is a British photography journalist, editor, curator, and the founder of *TheAppWhisperer.com*, one of the world’s leading platforms dedicated to mobile photography and art. Since its launch in 2009, TheAppWhisperer has become an international hub for artists of all levels to discover, learn, exhibit, and engage with contemporary photographic practice.Built on principles of inclusivity, accessibility, and artistic excellence, Joanne has spent almost two decades championing mobile photography as a serious artistic medium. Through interviews, critical essays, exhibitions, competitions, and education, she has helped shape and document the evolution of mobile art on a global scale.Her work has taken her internationally, lecturing on photography and mobile art at institutions and events including the Museum of Art in Seoul, South Korea, alongside appearances in the UK and Europe. She has served as a juror for international photography and mobile art awards across Portugal, Canada, the United States, South Korea, Italy, and the UK.Joanne is also the founder of *TheAppWhispererPrintSales.com*, one of the first online galleries dedicated exclusively to collectible mobile art, connecting artists with collectors across Europe, the United States, and Asia.Before founding TheAppWhisperer, Joanne worked extensively in print journalism and photographic publishing, including roles at a paparazzi photo agency and as deputy editor of a leading photography magazine. Her freelance journalism, criticism, and commentary have been published widely in both the UK and the US, with bylines in *The Times*, *The Sunday Times*, *The Guardian*, *Popular Photography*, *NikonPro*, *DPReview*, *Which?*, *Vogue Italia*, *LensCulture*, the *BBC*, and more recently, the *Financial Times*, where her published letters on photography continue to contribute to wider conversations around the medium.Alongside her editorial and curatorial work, Joanne’s own photographic practice has been exhibited internationally across the UK, Europe, South Korea, and the United States. Her work increasingly explores themes of grief, loss, death, memory, and the body.Her current research interests centre on grief, death, and poverty, with forthcoming postgraduate study leading towards doctoral research in these areas.Joanne is currently developing new long-form writing and photographic projects and is available for commissions, editorial projects, speaking engagements, and collaborations.Contact: joannetheappwhisperer@gmail.com)