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Via:
Arab News
High Demand for Camera Phones After Ban Lifted
Just a day after the ban on mobile camera phones was lifted, there has been an unusually high demand for camera phones and the prices of latest models dropped, according to local mobile phone vendors.
Mobile phone dealers who received the news on Tuesday night told Arab News the battle was over and shops were bringing out the stocked camera mobiles and their sales have gone up within a day after the lifting of the ban.
“Eventually and exactly Tuesday night, we received an official memo from the Ministry of Trade authorizing us to sell mobile phones with built-in cameras and we are ready to meet the big demand,” said Ahmed Nasser, a 28-year-old salesman at Al-Haddad communication center.
He said that more than half of the users without camera phones will consider purchasing such phones while a higher 65 percent will consider replacing their old mobile phones with a new model having a built–in camera.
“I think it is a big relief for us as traders and also for consumers who were afraid to buy such mobiles. It is a global trend that a camera is becoming a must for mobile phones,” he added.
“The question now is which kind of camera phones will dominate the market,” he said.
As consumers flocked communication shops in Jeddah on Thursday after hearing of lifting of the ban by the Saudi authorities, Bassam Al-Said, a 22–year-old student said he could now replace his old mobile with a new camera phone.
“I used to consider my phone as a device for talking only but now most of my friends have camera phones to take pictures of anything cool. I found myself recently the target of growing complaints from friends who said they could not swap photos with me via the cellphone and now since the ban is lifted I guess it will be much better,” he said.
“Demand is likely to shoot up within the next few days by consumers either to buy new or replace the old one as prices fall to an acceptable level. As 30 percent of local consumers have digital camera phones, we believe camera phones will be a potential growth area,” said Hatim Wasfi, the manager of Itisalat shop.
Hamid Al-Ghamdi, 39, was in the market searching for a new camera mobile. “I think it is about time for us to buy it from local vendors and not from pirates who sell the phones at high prices. Banning the phones did not mean that inbuilt camera phones were not available in the market. There were all kinds but they were being sold in the black market at very high prices,” he told Arab News.
Al-Ghamdi feels few people now will misuse the camera phones as everyone will be having them within the next few days.
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Posted: 2004-12-22 17:26:48
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Prices of camera phones have dropped by more than 50 percent after Saudi Arabia overturned a ban on the use of such mobile phones, killing sales on the black market, reports Arab News.
"Muhammad Saleh, owner of a shop selling camera phones, said: “Lifting the ban on camera phones is proving to be profitable for our business. It killed the black market, which had harmed our business."
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Posted: 2005-01-04 02:34:59
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Guess its time to buy from them.
This message was posted from a Nokia
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Posted: 2005-01-04 02:39:33
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yaay.. now I am safe when I will use my P800 over there
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Posted: 2005-01-20 09:08:12
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But has the ban been lifted yet?
This message was posted from a T230
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Posted: 2005-01-20 09:11:50
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It will have some serious rejection from religious leader.
And yes, some extrimist religious practicioner still allowed barbarian type of punishment such as : cutting hand or finger, throw stones to a man/woman until he/she died from severe injuries, etc.
For me, the permission of camera phone usage in Arab is a huge leap in that country's culture.
In Indonesia, though it is a majority Moslem society; but we adopt democracy system in our daily life and based everything in law and justice. So other religions can develop fairly - it still has many obstacles though.
Just can't imagine i will stand for long to live in a country that allowed such a -body mutilation- punishment and prevents me to own a S700....
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Posted: 2005-01-20 19:44:00
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