OK: I've been called many things, out spoken & opinionated to mention the least....and this is one time where I can't keep my mouth shut, when I see 'retail opportunists' taking advantage of a consumer's desire to buy something they've always wanted...the product in question here is the new iPhone 4, recently released in the US and Apple Store UK. I've seen & heard horror stories of people who have boarded planes from Dubai to London, stood in infinite queues, to get their hands on the new innovative product by tech darling Apple...some guy camped out a week before...and I'm sure others have even gone to more extremes, which the media refused to cover, just for the sake of saving face & maintaining human dignity....(if you heard any such untold stories, please do share).

Here's the deal: Shop&Ship members (the web savvy shoppers), in tune with the 'new', have already been receiving their new toy and believe me, the anticipation has been overwhelming. Over the weekend, the operations teams where practically on fire, just to make sure new iPhone gets cleared & released for customers that just had to have it on that day, and that's their god given right as a customer!

After a quick market check (Mall of the Emirates) and some of the online sites (based in the UAE) which I refuse to mention, I've put together for all of you the price comparisons:

Note: I work with aramex on the shopandship.com business

image: courtesy of Apple

Update: Clear and detailed step-by-step instructions by none other than our fav saudimac.com http://tinyurl.com/3yktbp3 (Thanks for the great tips!)

A few months back, during a brief online session with @SpotOnPr, we started having an open discussion about @shopnship (by aramex) and why people use it...we listed the usual, without any particular order: 1) Convenience (being a main driver for online shopping), 2) Choice & Variety (another great driver for online shopping), 3) Availability (products not released or available in the local market, example, the new iPhone, iPad, NexusOne, etc.), 4) Price (more chances to find bargain deals online), 5) Competitive shipping prices (try having something shipped by Amazon via international courier and you'll know what I mean)...and  then the last one, and please don't get me wrong, since it does have a sexual connotation...is 6) FETISH: Sometimes, you just gotta have an object, that tingles your senses, from the pure joy of owning it, touching it, or just plain old being around it...

The Dyson Air Multiplier: been making it's round of buzz since it's invention...the power of 'fanning' without the noise and as far as I'm concerned...without the engineering logic of having fans, to create an air stream....but living in a climate controlled environment like Dubai...why would I ever want one? Here are a few reasons that I've convinced myself to owning one: 1) the air-conditioning in my place is too strong (cold), usually end up keeping the unit in the living room on at night, keeping the bedroom door open, to avoid never waking up from hyperthermia, so, placing the Dyson at the door of my room, would help in having some of that air, flow in. 2) looks damn cool!, 3) can use it during the good weather days, on the balcony, just to have a nice breeze, and 4) Pure Fetish: yes, psychologically, I just have to have one in my possession!

To avoid the AC current dilemma (220 volts vs 110), my first port of call was amazon.co.uk and there you have it.... the Dyson Air Multiplier: http://goo.gl/6uno

If I choose to click 'buy now'...it would reach my personal account with Shop&Ship UK within 48 hrs and considering the smooth transit time from there to Dubai, I'd probably have it by max Tuesday!

Note: I work with aramex on @shopnship

Alright, here it goes…6 months back I started delving deeper into social media (twitter to be specific). A few months down the road, I understood the importance of content, so, ended up running 2 blogs:mikail.posterous.com and was shortly followed by hassanmikail.com and a LinkedIn profile. The knowledge picked up along the way has been phenomenal!