Apple launches online store in Saudi Arabia
In a statement, Apple said customers in Saudi Arabia can now shop the full range of Apple products and receive direct support from Apple team members.
Deirdre O'Brien, Apple's Senior Vice President of Retail, said the company is offering customers a new way to explore and purchase its full lineup of products and services.
Apple revealed in December that it would expand in Saudi Arabia, starting with the launch of its online store in summer 2025, according to Argaam data. The company also plans to open its first physical Apple Store in the Kingdom in 2026.
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Arab News
3 minutes ago
- Arab News
How the public and private sector are navigating AI integration in the modern workplace
RIYADH: As artificial intelligence transforms the modern workplace, public and private sector organizations in Saudi Arabia are leaning into its potential to revolutionize how they operate. From automating workflows to training digital employees, AI has moved from buzzword to backbone in national efforts to modernize systems and boost efficiency. But with rapid innovation comes a familiar hurdle — adapting without breaking what already works. 'Every country has old systems that are doing important work. They can't get rid of them, they need to continue, so they need to find a way to have a single pane of glass that connects them,' Casey Coleman, vice president of Global Public Sector at ServiceNow, told Arab News. That challenge is particularly acute in government institutions, where outdated IT systems often clash with modern digital tools. Legacy infrastructure, varying data formats, and bureaucratic complexity can make large-scale upgrades difficult. Still, Saudi Arabia is making notable progress. ServiceNow — which has operated in the Kingdom since 2011 — has helped modernize operations in the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development. More than 180 automated processes now support the Ministry of Justice, while an integrated portal for public-sector employees has streamlined communication and speeded up problem-solving. The gains are real. But Coleman notes that transformation requires more than just new code. 'It's hard to change the way that work gets done because it becomes kind of just your muscle memory,' she said. 'To change that is like an athlete learning to change their golf swing or learning to change their basketball shot.' The key, she says, is empathy. 'It calls for empathizing with people and understanding their work from their perspective. It takes a human approach. It's not just about the systems.' Instead of replacing legacy systems outright, ServiceNow offers a way to integrate them, preserving existing structures while cutting down inefficiencies. One major pain point is what Coleman calls 'sneaker net' — employees manually switching between platforms and reentering information. Some 40 percent of productivity is lost due to these inefficiencies, she says — and likely more in the public sector. 'People who join government are there to make a difference. They're not there to serve data between one system to another,' Coleman said. 'They're there to help people, and by taking away the toil of the administrative work that is just a drain on our productivity, we can liberate their time to do the public-facing work.' That liberation is also playing out on the industrial front. In one of ServiceNow's largest partnerships, the firm is working with Saudi Aramco to modernize its operations safely using 'digital twins' — virtual models of physical systems. The approach allows engineers to simulate changes at oil refining plants before implementation. 'ServiceNow has taken some part of the value chain in helping those companies to make safe changes to their systems and safe upgrades and modernization,' said Coleman. This year, the company opened its first regional headquarters in Saudi Arabia, cementing its long-term commitment to a market it views as digitally mature and globally influential. 'Saudi Arabia has a very clear strategy, and that's important,' Saif Mashat, area vice president for ServiceNow in the Middle East and Africa, told Arab News. 'Saudi Arabia is part of the G20, one of the biggest economies in the region, one of the biggest economies in the world. Saudi Arabia is a very influential country globally, and is very, very advanced when it comes to the digital era.' Private tech leaders are also seeing an acceleration in AI adoption across the Kingdom. According to IBM's regional vice president Ayman Al-Rashed, more than 70 percent of CEOs in Saudi Arabia have already created entirely new AI-based roles — a higher figure than the global average. 'These are jobs that didn't exist last year. These are new jobs,' he said. 'This shows you that there's a lot of interest in KSA, more than elsewhere around the globe, because the global average is between 50 and 60 percent.' Al-Rashed explained that IBM has automated 95 percent of its internal HR functions, slashing costs by 40 percent — savings equivalent to $3.5 billion in productivity gains. That same tech, he said, is now being offered to clients. 'We came up with something we called the 'watsonx Orchestrate,'' said Al-Rashed. 'That's a lot of agents, assistants, and tools. There are actually more than 80 enterprise applications out there, and they're all out of the box. You can immediately go and use them and have the same experience.' One standout example is 'AskHR,' a virtual assistant that helps IBM staff navigate complex tasks like creating job requisitions or scheduling interviews. 'I used AskHR when I joined IBM. It was great. I always felt that someone was talking to me, but it was just AI,' said Al-Rashed. These shifts align closely with the Kingdom's Vision 2030 plan, which prioritizes digital transformation and workforce upskilling as key pillars of national development. 'What we've done is we've looked at our operations in HR, and we wanted to do things such as enhance the efficiency of it, reduce the cost of it, free up the time of the employees themselves,' said Al-Rashed. The message is clear: As Saudi Arabia races toward its digital future, the integration of AI is not just a competitive advantage — it is a national imperative. For now, success lies not just in smart software, but in making technology work with, not against, the systems already in place.
Leaders
an hour ago
- Leaders
ITFC CEO Meets with Egypt's Minister of Planning, Economic Development
Eng. Adeeb Al Aama, Chief Executive Officer of the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) and a member of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group, held a meeting yesterday with Egypt's Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation, Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, during his visit to Cairo. The discussion centered on enhancing cooperation in key sectors such as energy and food commodities, along with promoting investment development through the second phase of the Aid for Trade Initiative for Arab States (AfTIAS) program. Both parties underscored the significance of supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and empowering women in trade. They also highlighted the strategic partnership between ITFC and Egypt, which plays a vital role in driving sustainable development and fostering regional integration through the Islamic Development Bank Group's integrated trade solutions. Related Topics : ITFC Participates in Uzbekistan Trade Finance Conference 2025 Saudi Arabia executes a young rape suspect in the Eastern Province Tehran eyes $1 bn of trade with Saudi Arabia: Finance Minister Saudi, U.S. Representatives Hold Economic Discussions Short link : Post Views: 22 Related Stories
Leaders
an hour ago
- Leaders
Saudi Arabia, Russia Review Progress of Joint Intergovernmental Commission
Saudi Arabia and Russia have explored the progress achieved within the framework of Joint Saudi-Russian Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation. As the co-chairs of the Commission, the Saudi Energy Minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, and the Russian Deputy Prime Minister, Alexander Novak, met in Riyadh, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA). During their meeting, both officials reviewed aspects of bilateral cooperation within the Commission's mandate. They also followed up on the progress achieved since the 8th session. This included the recently-announced operation of direct flights between Saudi Arabia and Russia and the signing of multiple memoranda of understanding (MoUs) across various fields, such as industry, education, media, and Hajj and Umrah. Furthermore, the two officials explored avenues for strengthening trade turnover and expanding cooperation in key economic sectors of mutual interest. They also discussed the ongoing preparations for the 9th session of the Joint Saudi-Russian Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation, scheduled for November 6, 2025 in Riyadh. Moreover, the discussions touched upon the latest developments in the oil market and the collaboration between Saudi Arabia and Russia within the framework of OPEC+. 'Another topic of discussion was the situation on the oil market and the prospects for cooperation between the two countries within OPEC+,' reported Russian news agency TASS. Short link : Post Views: 15
