Here are the price of the new iPad Air with M3 Chip in Saudi Arabia
iPad Air 11‑inch
Wifi Only
128GB – SAR2,699.00
256GB – SAR3,149.00
512GB – SAR4,049.00
Wi-Fi + Cellular
128GB – SAR3,349.00
256GB – SAR3,849.00
512GB – SAR4,749.00
iPad Air 13‑inch
Wifi Only
128GB – SAR3,699.00
256GB – SAR4,149.00
512GB – SAR5,049.00
Wi-Fi + Cellular
128GB – SAR4,349.00
256GB – SAR4,849.00
Apple Magic Tablet Keyboard
For 11-inches iPad Air – SAR 1,349.00
For 13-inches iPad Air – SAR 1,449.00
The new iPad Air with M3 Chip and the new Apple Magic Tablet Keyboard is now available for pre-order and will be available in Apple Authorized Resellers, starting March 12th.
The just announced iPhone 16e is now available for pre-order in Saudi Arabia. You can place your pre-order on the leading telecom and retailer in the Kingdom.
The iPhone 16e will be only be available in Black and White colors in 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB storage capacities, with starting price of SAR2,799.00 for the 128GB model, SAR3,299.00 for the 256GB and SAR4,299.00 for the 512GB. Pre-order period will be until February 28th 2025 and will start shipping or can be collected until March 7th 2025.
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, approved today, February 20, 2025, the Saudi riyal symbol; a historic move that will reinforce the Saudi currency’s identity.
The Governor of the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA), H.E. Ayman M. Al-Sayari, extends his profound appreciation to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and HRH Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, for launching the Saudi riyal symbol.
Al-Sayari noted that this decision reinforces Saudi Arabia’s financial identity, locally, regionally, and internationally. He indicated that the implementation of the new symbol will be gradual for financial and commercial transactions, with coordination across all relevant entities.
Saudi Riyal Symbol
The agency explained that “the Saudi riyal symbol, developed to the highest technical standards, embodies the Kingdom’s rich cultural heritage, carrying the name of our national currency “Riyal” in a design derived from Arabic calligraphy. The symbol will streamline the representation of the Saudi riyal in local, regional, and international contexts, making it suitable for use in referring to the Saudi riyal in all financial and commercial transactions.”
Before the announcement of the Saudi Riyals symbol, SAR, SR or the Arabic equivalent ريال or الريال السعودي, is the one being used.
Just like what the title, the just announced Huawei Mate XT Ultimate Design is now available for pre-order in Jarir and Extra, you can also pre-order the tri-fold smartphone directly from Huawei KSA.
متاح الآن للطلب المسبق! أول هاتف ثلاثي قابل للطيّ في العالم📱 هاتف Huawei Mate XT الجديد بتصميم مبتكر واستثاني 🤩 اطلبه مسبقًا الآن من جرير واستمتع بهدايا مجانية 🎁 يسري العرض حتى 4 مارس 2025
It’s official, the tri-fold Huawei Mate XT Ultimate Design is now in Saudi Arabia, the company announced Tuesday, Feb 18, 2025.
The Huawei Mate XT Ultimate Design will be available in 16 GB RAM and 1TB storage model, it will feature a Super Slim Triple-Fold Design, 10.2-inch Hi-Res HUAWEI X-True™ Display, a Octa-core Kirin 9010 (1.55 GHz Cortex-A510) CPU, a triple camera system with a 50 MP Ultra Aperture Camera (F1.4-4.0 aperture,OIS) as the main camera and an 8 MP Selfie Camera (F2.2).
At the same time, the Mate XT Ultimate Design will be powered by a Si/C Li-Ion 5600 mAh battery and is available in Red and Black colors. You can checkout the full specs of the Huawei Mate XT Ultimate Design here.
Huawei Mate XT Ultimate Design Specs
Price
from SAR12,999.00
Main display
10.2 inches (3184 x 2232 pixels)
Dual displays
7.9 inches (2232 x 2048 pixels)
Front display
6.4 inches (2232 x 1008 pixels)
CPU
Kirin 9010 5G*
RAM
16GB
Storage
256GB, 512GB, 1TB
OS
HarmonyOS 4.2
Rear cameras
50MP main camera (f/1.4), 12MP ultra-wide (f/2.2), 12MP telephoto (5.5x optical/50x digital zoom)
Front camera
8MP
Battery
5,600 mAh
Charging
66W wired, 50W wireless
Colors
Red or Black vegan leather
Size
Unfolded: 156.7 x 219 x 3.6-4.8 mm; Folded: 156.7 x 73.5 x 12.8 mm
First announced last September 2024, it looks like demand for its tri-fold Mate XT Ultimate is big enough for the company to ignore, that is why the company will be launching the Huawei Mate XT Ultimate in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) and Google have partnered to bring Google Pay to Saudi Arabia in 2025 through the mada payment system. This move supports SAMA’s Vision 2030 goals by boosting digital payments and reducing cash reliance. Google Pay will offer secure and convenient transactions in stores, apps, and online.
The agreement will allow Android users to pay using their Android phones instead of using their MADA card, just like how iOS users uses Apple pay (on their iphone).
Riyadh Public Transport (RPT) has announced that the Riyadh Metro Orange Line has officially open today, January 5, 2025. The announcement was made on their social media accounts and on Saudi Press Agency, more than a month after King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud inaugurated the Riyadh Metro.
Effective tomorrow, Sunday , January 5,2025 #RiyadhMetro expands it’s journey with the introduction of the orange line , connecting the city like never before through five new stations
— النقل العام لمدينة الرياض (@RiyadhTransport) January 4, 2025
Out of the 22 stations 5 stations will initially be operations; Jeddah Road (11), Tuwaiq (Station 12), Ad Douh (Station 13), Harun Al Rashid Road (Station 29), Al Naseem (Station 30) which connects to the Purple Line Station 21.
Together with the opening of Riyadh Metro Orange Line, RPT also announced the opening of three new stations on the Blue line: Al Murooj (Station 14), Bank Albilad (Station 21) and King Fahad Library (Station 22).
Apple announced plans to expand in Saudi Arabia, starting with the launch of an online store in summer 2025 and opening physical stores in 2026, including a flagship location in Diriyah, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The expansion includes existing investments in the country, including the Apple Developer Academy in Riyadh, which opened in Riyadh in 2021 in partnership with the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Tuwaiq Academy, and Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University. The program has trained nearly 2,000 aspiring feamale coders, designers, and entrepreneurs. Apple hosted the country’s first coed Apple Foundation Program. A monthlong course for students from across the country to learn the fundamentals of coding and app development, with a focus on gaming. Apple plans to further expand the coed Foundation offerings, with the next cohort planned for spring 2025.
Apple has emphasizes its commitment to Saudi Arabia, highlighting investments, job creation, and the growth of the app economy, with developer earnings increasing up over 1,750 percent since 2019. Apple Pay is also gaining traction in the country, with Riyadh being the first city in the Middle East to offer Express Mode for transit payments.
Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has launched its e-Visa system for Indian nationals. Indian nationals may apply for e-Visas remotely by visiting the official website (evisa.gov.ph) and paying e-Visa fees online via direct bank transfer in a secure manner. This follows a successful trial period and aims to improve user experience. The soft launching and beta testing was done in August 2023.
Over 7,000 Indians have already used the system with positive feedback. The applicants were able to navigate the e-Visa system with general ease and reported positive feedback for its convenience, user-friendliness, and reliability.
Philippine e-Visa System is part of the Philippines’ digital transformation plan mentioned during the President’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) on 22 July 2024.
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud inaugurated the Riyadh Metro, a major public transport project in Saudi Arabia. The metro network spans 176 kilometers across 6 lines and 85 stations. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud expressed gratitude to the King for his support and visionary leadership.
Riyadh Metro will initially open 3 lines by December 1st, then another 2 line on the 15th of December and the remaining line on the first week of January.
December 1, 2024
Line 1 – Blue
Line 4 – Gold/Yellow
Line 6 – Purple
December 15, 2024
Line 2 – Red
Line 5 – Green
January 5, 2024
Line 3 – Orange
The project was launched following comprehensive studies on Riyadh’s public transport needs and is designed to meet the city’s current and future mobility requirements. The Riyadh Metro is expected to significantly enhance the quality of life for residents and visitors, aligning with the goals of Vision 2030.
Announced last month, the Mac Mini is one of the cheapest Macs that you can buy and the base model M4, 16GB RAM and 256GB Storage is probably the best deal for a new Mac.
Specs of Mac Mini with M4 chips;
Dimesnion (DxWxH): 5.0 inches x 5.0 inches x 2.0 inches
Processor: M4, M4 Pro
16GB unified RAM, configurable up to 64GB
256GB SSD, configurable up to 8TB
Built-in speaker
3.5 mm headphone jack with advanced support for high-impedance headphones
HDMI port
Two USB-C ports with support for USB 3 (up to 10Gb/s)
It was an overwhelming win by Donald Trump, as he win the 2024 US Presidential Election over VP Kamala Harris. Donald Trump received 277 electoral votes (71,177,549 vote) compare to the 224 electoral votes (66,247,919 votes) for Kamala Harris.
Donald Trump has been elected the 47th president of the United States, an extraordinary comeback for a former president who refused to accept defeat four years ago, sparked a violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, was convicted of felony charges and survived two assassination attempts.
President Elect Donald Trump will return to the Oval Office after the inauguration ceremony this coming Jan. 20th, 2025. The ceremony will take place at the U.S. Capitol building in Washington D.C.
via CNBC, Donald Trump will be the 45th and the 47th President of the United States of America. At 78 years old, Trump is the oldest person to ever to win a U.S. presidential election. This will be an interesting, to say the least, since he take office while facing criminal charges in multiple active federal and state cases.
President Trump has won, and the American people have triumphed. I congratulate them on their victory in an exercise that showed the world the strength of American values.
We look forward to working with President Trump on a wide range of issues that will yield mutual benefits for two nations with deep ties, shared beliefs, a common vision, and a long history of working together.
I am hopeful that this unshakeable alliance, tested in war and peace, will be a force for good, blazing a path of prosperity and amity in the region and on both sides of the Pacific.
This is a durable partnership to which the Philippines is fully committed, because it is founded on the ideals we share: freedom and democracy.
I have personally met President Trump as a young man, so I know that his robust leadership will result in a better future for all of us.
The Indonesian government has banned the sales of Google Pixel in the country even though they are not officially distributed in the country.
The banned was made because Google has not met the rules that requires smartphone sold locally should contain at least 40% of the parts made domestically.
“We are pushing these rules so that there’s fairness for all investors in Indonesia,” Febri Hendri Antoni Arief, industry ministry spokesperson, said on Thursday. “Google’s products have not adhered to the scheme we set, so they can’t be sold here.”
The ban for the Google Pixel comes a week after the country blocked Apple from selling the new iPhone 16 locally due to the same content rules.
Pre-order period will be from October 30th until November 8th, 2024 (or while supply last). Shipping and collection will then start between November 8th at 4:00 PM to November 16th, 2024. Unfortunately, the new iMac from Jarir is not configurable.
New iMac: Blue
Apple officially announced the new iMac with the new M4 chip last Monday, Oct. 28th.
Here are the key specs of the new iMac;
24-inches 4.5K Retina display (4480 X 2520) , an optional nano-texture display
M4 chip (8-core CPU/8-Core GPU, 10-Core CPU /10-Core GPU)
macOS Sequoia
Apple Intelligence
12MP Center Stage web camera
up to 32 GB of RAM
up to 2 TB of storage
High-fidelity Six-speaker System, Support for Spatial Audio
up to 4X Thunderbolt 4
Wi-Fi/Bluetooth
Colors: Blue, Purple, Pink, Orange, Yellow, Green and Silver.
Situated in the central region of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh serves as the nation’s legislative, financial, administrative, diplomatic and commercial hub, home to over seven million inhabitants.
Covering an area of around 1550 sq km, the city sits at approximately 600 m above sea level on the eastern part of the Najd plateau in the Arabian Peninsula. Like much of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh has a desert climate with extreme summer temperatures that can reach up to 50°C.
The image prominently features the city’s grid-like street system, which consists of square blocks measuring around two km one each side, forming an extensive network across the urban landscape.
Earth from Space: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
It’s hard to get lost when you know that you will always end up on same road if you keep turning right. Also, as beautiful as this picture, the photo of Riyadh at night that NASA released in 2012 is much dramatic and detailed.
In a facebook post, Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said that “another batch 45 OFWs with two children from Lebanon have safely returned home, bringing to a total of 525 OFWs and 30 dependents who have been repatriated through the government’s voluntary repatriation program.”
DMW added that “the batch arrived at NAIA Terminal 1 in Pasay City this afternoon, October 17, 2024, via Kuwait Airways 417.”
OFW in Lebanon have been affected by the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, which started with Israel’s war on Gaza last October 2023. The conflict only escalated when “Hezbollah confirmed that its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, had been killed in an Israeli air strike on residential buildings in Beirut, which Israel claimed were above Hezbollah’s headquarters, on the night of Friday, September 27.” as reported by Aljazeera.
Over a hundred Filipinos have been pardoned in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. announced Tuesday, following his phone call with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed.
A welcoming news after an OFW was executed in Saudi, specially if you take in consideration that a total of 143 have been pardoned by the UAE government.
In a special ceremony, Aster Sanad has announce that they are opening a specialized Philippine OB/GYN clinic in Riyadh. The ribbon cutting ceremony was held last Wednesday, October 10th with their special guest Ms. Lucille Gayaman, Assistant Labor Attaché of the Embassy of the Philippines in Riyadh with Aster Sanad CEO, Dr. Essam Algamdi and OB/GYN Doctor Allyn Abuy.
We are pleased to announce the opening of our specialized Philippine OB/GYN clinic in Riyadh, dedicated to serving Filipino women!
A special thanks to Ms. Lucille T. Gayaman for attending the opening ceremony with our CEO, Dr. Essam Algamdi.
We also offer special discounts and exclusive packages on all hospital services to ensure high-quality, affordable care.
Because we always care about you at #Aster_Sanad_Hospital, you can now #book your #appointment by contacting us at 📞 920004417
An overseas Filipino worker (OFW) here, who used to work as gym receptionist, now runs a bakeshop selling “binatog.” And it has been such a big hit that he was able to buy a house and lot plus a car in the Philippines from sales.
An inspiring story for all OFW, including me, who left our home country to find a living in a foreign land.
I also someone who works as a tea boy/cleaner here in Saudi Arabia but building his dream house in the Philippines… paycheck after paycheck!
Michelle Abad with reports from Bea Cupin, reporting for Rappler;
A Filipino on death row in Saudi Arabia has been executed, the Philippine government said on Tuesday, October 8.
“We regret to confirm the news that a Filipino has been executed in Saudi Arabia for murder,” the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a statement.
The Philippine government provided legal assistance and exhausted remedies to save the Filipino’s life, including sending a presidential letter of appeal to Saudi Arabia’s King Salman. But the victim’s family refused to accept blood money in return for forgiveness of the Filipino, and so the death penalty was meted, the DFA said.
According to Foreign Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega, the overseas Filipino worker pleaded guilty to the crime. The victim was the OFW’s Saudi Arabian business partner, and the incident happened in 2020.
Philippine Embassy in Saudi Arabia release the following statement;
A very sad moment for all OFW in Saudi Arabia.
The Rappler also reports that according to DFA there are still “nine Filipinos remain on death row in Saudi Arabia.”
What is Riyadh Season? Riyadh Season is one of the world’s largest winter entertainment event. Variety of food from around the world, courtesy of exclusive restaurants — plus countless exciting surprises. The festivities capture the essence of Saudi, from its Najdi heritage to its present-day dynamism.
When will it start?
Riyadh Season will kick-off this October 12th.
All Philippine consulates in the United States will implement online voting for the upcoming midterm elections in May of next year.
New York Consul General Senen Mangalile said this is part of Commission on Elections (COMELEC) Resolution No. 11061 which directs Philippine embassies and consulates in the US to implement internet-based online voting.
Hopefully they also implement online voting in other embassies and consulates, so other OFW can place their votes.
The bus carrying six teachers and 39 students in elementary and junior high school was travelling from Uthai Thani province, about 300 kilometres (186 miles) north of Bangkok, for a school trip in Ayutthaya and Nonthaburi provinces on Tuesday.
The fire started while the bus was on a highway north of the capital and spread so quickly many were unable to escape.
Trairong Phiwpan, head of the police forensic department, said 23 bodies were recovered from the bus.
The recovery work and confirmation of the total dead had been delayed earlier because the burned vehicle, which was fueled with natural gas, remained too hot to enter for hours.
A real tragic accident that could have been be avoided just by doing a quick checkup on the bus.
I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election. I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them. I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos. I was so heartened and impressed by her selection of running mate @timwalz, who has been standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman’s right to her own body for decades.
Considering Taylor Swift massive popularity, this is a very big endorsement for VP Kamala Harris and her party. It also great that Taylor Swift mentioned the reason why she is voting for Kamala, which is a great question to ask those who are voting for Trump.
I’ve done my research, and I’ve made my choice. Your research is all yours to do, and the choice is yours to make. I also want to say, especially to first time voters: Remember that in order to vote, you have to be registered! I also find it’s much easier to vote early. I’ll link where to register and find early voting dates and info in my story.
With love and hope,
Taylor Swift
Childless Cat Lady
She reminded her fans to register in order to place their vote and count. The “do your own research..” appears to be directed to her fans who are partial to Trump but are still 50/50 on who to vote for.
Swift’s endorsement come right after the Presidential Debate, where Kamala Harris appears to have gotten the upper hand.
If debates are won and lost on which candidate best takes advantage of issues where they are strong – and defends or deflects on areas of weakness – Tuesday night tilted in favour of the vice-president.
