Man travels to Dubai just to buy iPhone before its India launch

An Indian man who calls himself a "hardcore Steve Jobs fan" travelled all the way to Dubai from the Indian state of Kerala just so he could buy the latest Apple iPhone hours before its launch in India.

The man named Dheeraj Palliyali, who hails from Kochi in Kerala, spent Rs 40,000 (£439) on airfare so he could go and buy the brand-new iPhone 14 from a premium reseller in Dubai's Mirdif Centre.

This was not the first time that 28-year-old Palliyalli did something like this. Every time Apple launches a new version of the iPhone, he runs to Dubai to purchase it before anyone else can. It has now become a ritual for him.

"I started travelling to Dubai to buy the latest iPhone from 2017 when iPhone 8 was launched," he told The Independent.

"I am now emotionally connected with the trip. It gives you a special feeling to be inside the showroom, purchasing the phone as the first customer when thousands are still waiting to buy," he added.

Earlier, the latest iPhone models would be released in Dubai weeks before they went on sale in India. However. the latest model was released on the same day in India with a gap of just a few hours. But that did not stop him from travelling all the way to Dubai for the phone.

"It has sort of become a ritual now as I buy the iPhone from the same store," says Palliyali. He says that it is his way of commemorating former Apple CEO Steve Jobs, who died in 2011.

Palliyali, who runs Dare Picture digital consultancy in Kochi City, says that earlier his family would object to such "wastage of money," but they have now given up.

"They used to tell me that it is not worth spending so much money as the latest model will be released in India within 10-15 days. But now they realise that this is passion and that this my way of honouring Steve Jobs," he said.

Apple recently launched iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max, which are priced at Rs 129,900 and Rs 139,900, respectively.