> It's surprising how Dubai with such a low population and low apple users as compared to India gets this preferential treatment.

In addition to the demographic differences, I wonder how much of this is also a difference of where there are official Apple Stores and where there are not.

Dubai has 3 official stores I think (I’ve only been to the flagship at the Dubai Mall and it’s one of the most spectacular retail stores I’ve ever seen — very close to the Apple Store in Singapore), whereas the Apple Store in Mumbai has been pushed back to 2023 or 2024.

Apple is one of those companies that in my experience, the customer support is much, much better when it can be direct from the official retail or repair channels than if you are in a region that only has authorized repair centers.

As an anecdote, I was once doing business in Europe and had my laptop break in a country that didn’t have an official Apple Store. The authorized repair center I found seemed to be of good quality, but they wouldn’t be able to do the repair I needed in the timeframe I needed it. I ended up just flying from Finland to Sweden to get my laptop repaired/replaced.

It was about five hours total out of my way and like $150, but it was just easier than the alternatives.

I hope that once Apple has an official retail presence in India that service will improve, at least in major cities.

Is it really surprising...? Think of the $$$$$$'s....

Lots of countries (including India) make it difficult for Apple to open their own stores.

Dubai allows Apple to open stores freely without needing local partners, and has the added benefit of being a travel hub, so the size of the market is far bigger than the local population. It makes perfect sense.