Hello from Kuwait!

[aljawad]

Hello everybody! I'm Ala'a, and I'm from Kuwait. An engineer by profession and my hobbies include photography, reading and everything that has to do with Apple. I'm a long time Apple user (30+yrs) and an ardent fan who refuses to have anything to do with a WinPeeCee!

While I was California earlier this month, I picked up my iPad from the flagship Apple store in San Francisco on April 3rd. Actually, I was among the first customers to enter the store, in fact I was second only to Max

To be among the first customers, we camped in front of the store for almost 12 hours. The night might have been cold, but we were comforted by the warmth of the conversation with the fellow Apple-minded people in the line, some of whom were also traveller from distinctions far away. It was truly an enjoyable night that passed quickly, and it culminated in the morning becoming the first generation of inductees into the fabulous world of the iPad As a bonus, I got to meet with Jon Ive, who actually remembered me from a couple of years ago when I talked to him after the keynote of Macworld '08. I've posted some of the pictures from that night and morning here.

Its always great to hear from Apple / Mac / iHardware users, and it is truly refreshing to be connected with this forum for the exciting iPad!

 

[ICONYK]

Welcome! Loved your photos! I am a twitter follower of iJustine so I think I saw you in her video from that day. Really cool!

Did you fly in just for the iPad launch? Or were you already here for business? If it was just for iPad, you are devoted!

 

[Max]

Greetings Al! Hope your trip back home went well! it was an honor to share the first spots in line with you and Andreas, definitly made the night go alot faster. Thanks for sharing the pics.
Ive been trying to get ahold of the frenchman, I think his name was Ryan, that videofilmed alot during the night and the morning but no luck.

Welcome to the forum, its definitly a great place for all kinds of info and help.
Hows the reaction to your ipad back in Kuwait? Did you have any problems in customs with it?

Your friend in line,
Max

 

[Tareket]

Apple newbe

Hi Alaa, I got my Ipad just 10 days ago and I am in heavens with reading my books on it.... never been an apple person before and I am just trying to live with itunes . Being an old apple user can you tell me where -in Kuwait- can i get apple store cards so I can make use of the store.. I have no US based VISA...or is there any other way....
I am an Orthopedic surgeon and a bookworm...
Great pictures and alot of passion...
Enjoy your Ipad..

 

[iDan]

Welcome to the site!

 

[Seadog]

It is interesting how something so simple can go around the world so easily. Considering what communications were like forty years ago, when I started making a living, it makes one feel like they have lived through great changes.

 

[DG~X]

Welcome to the site, hope to see you around!!

 

[kheldour]

Welcome from Europe

 

[Rola]

Marhaba alaa!!! Glad you like the Ipad! I just got mine as well and I love it!!

 

[aljawad]

Hello everyone, and I'm sorry for the late reply

Thank you all for your kind comments, and yes I'll try to have an active presence here!

I forgot to mention the UStream videos I captured that day. They are available along with some other videos on my YouTube channel. And also, I've written a quick iPad review at Q8MUG.

ICONYK: Thank you and I'm delighted you liked the pictures. Its always fun to meet iJustine, I usually bump into her every year at Macworld, which I didn't attend this year. I attended to some business in the US until mid-March, after which I decided to stick around for the iPad. Frequently I time my travel plans to coincide with major introductions like the original iPhone and the OS releases.

Hello Max! Thank you, and the honor was truly mine I think we had a cool group - but remember that fella who wanted to protest the iPad?
I've been trying to locate Andreas, I could swear he handed me his card :-/ After I was done with the purchase, I stayed in the store and played with some of teh apps on a display iPad. And the trip home was long but uneventful - no problems with customs and no WiFi issues. I took the iPad to the local Apple agent the first day I was back, it generated some excitement for a short while. Now, some stores are carrying "gray-market" iPad at rediculous prices: would you believe a 16G model sells for the equivalent of a $1,000? Crazy :-/

Tareket: Sala'am! Glad you made the choice, and I'm delighted you are happy with the iPad. About the pre-paid iTunes cards ... Hmmm, while Apple does allow for the contents of (US) iTunes to be accessed from outside the USA, the cards themselves are not available to be shipped internationally. I'm sorry, but I honestly don't have an idea how to get those cards - maybe from Amazon? I'm guessing local store might sell them - at an outlandish price - since I remember the local dealer mentioning this some years ago, but they didn't want to start a problem with the regional Apple agent?

iDan, DG~X & kheldour: Thank you guys, I really appreciate the warm welcomes

Seadog: Absolutely! Sometimes I joke with youngsters and tease them by telling them how in our days, not only didn't we have the equivelant of internet searches and Wikipedia, no portable computers or phones, no access to 100s of TV channels, but actually - horror of horrors - we had to actually walk to the TV to change the channel!

Rola: Ahleen! Congratulation on your iPad - I'm sure you'll have loads of fun with it BTW: I Love Lebanon, and I'll always remember New Jersey with great fondness as it was my home for several years!