From status symbol to fear of missing out: Why UAE residents queue for hours for the new iPhone.
On Friday morning, hundreds of UAE residents lined up outside Apple stores across Dubai. Some had slept in their cars, while others arrived before dawn. They were all chasing the same goal: getting the latest iPhone 18 on launch day.
The device can be ordered online and delivered within minutes. Yet hundreds still chose to queue in person, with some even sleeping in their cars overnight to make sure they could collect their phones as early as possible.
For Pakistani expatriate Sadaf, buying the latest iPhone on launch day has become a family tradition. She queued outside an Apple store with her brother’s wife and their two-year-old niece to collect three devices.
“We have been doing this for years, but we still haven’t cracked the code for getting the first slot on launch day,” she said. “When the Apple Duo launches in October, we are planning to buy that as well. Maybe then, we will finally manage to get the first slot.”
The queue is not necessarily an inconvenience. For many buyers, it is part of the experience, according to Dr Sarah Percy, Assistant Professor in Marketing at the University of Birmingham Dubai.
“For Apple’s loyalists, the queue becomes part of the launch ritual, one where they can visibly express their devotion to the brand,” she said. “Being among the first to own the latest model signals psychological value through identity, exclusivity and belonging, which extends far beyond the product itself.”
The waiting, the early-morning alarm and the shared excitement with strangers all become part of the story buyers can later tell, she said.
‘Before everyone has it’
Dubai resident Hanal arrived with her family to collect four devices, with each member upgrading from their previous model. The family had been saving for months, with each person paying for their own phone.
“We decided as a family to upgrade,” Hanal said. “When you have made the decision to buy, you might as well buy it on the first day before everyone has it.”
The family bought two burgundy, one black and one blue iPhone.
The desire to own the latest model before everyone else appears to have been amplified by social media, with influencers and celebrities playing a role in turning a want into a perceived need.
“Influencer and celebrity content amplifies the visibility of the latest model by placing it within aspirational reference groups, which can increase its social desirability,” Dr Sarah explained. “When this is combined with visible queues, it can create a powerful form of social validation, making the product culturally relevant and creating a desire to participate and act now.”
Russian tourists Saiful Islam and Ive Sultana Molly timed their Dubai visit to coincide with the iPhone launch. “Since Russia imports the iPhone, it will be a few days before it becomes available on the market,” Saiful said. “So, we will be among the first to have it there when we return.”
The couple flew back to Russia on Friday itself.
The hero colour effect
Every year, Apple introduces a new “hero colour” for its latest iPhone models. Last year it was orange; this year, it is burgundy.
The colour is more than a design choice. It can also serve as a visual signal of owning the latest model.
“Although burgundy may be associated with status and sophistication, a key driver behind the ‘hero colour’ is distinctiveness,” Dr Percy said. “Using a recognisable colour such as this provides an immediate and socially identifiable cue that someone owns the latest model. The colour therefore becomes more than an aesthetic choice, forming a subtle status symbol.”
If you see someone carrying a burgundy iPhone, you immediately know they have the latest model. That is part of the appeal. But how much of this is deliberate marketing by Apple, and how much comes down to human nature?
“Apple’s annual product launch has become an anticipated yet deliberate brand ritual, built around not only how the product looks and feels, but also how it is sold and experienced, with emotional and social value attached to ownership,” Dr Percy said. “Consumers amplify this social meaning through participation, sharing and early ownership.”
