Nothing is really stopping me, I just think iPhones align better with me now.

I am going to give 3 examples of why I switched from Android to iPhone. 1 - I used Samsung Galaxy S every generation till the S5, flashing ROMs every second day and I got tired of it. One thing that particularly bothered me was when I got my officially branded Galaxy S car holder, Car charger and a lot of other accessories and they didn’t work with the SII.

2 - I use to jog quite a lot and used the arm strap with the cable and I thought I want a phone that prioritizes wireless audio. Apple was the first company that did that. I would have thought it would have been Sony with some of their previous phones.

3 - Samsung had many of the things I like in iPhone now already back in the Galaxy S and SII time. S Calendar, S notes, S diary, S transfer I think. That was dropped as a novelty after a few times. Once apple start with something they keep it, at least for a while.

I know phones are more mature now and Samsung probably doesn’t do this anymore (Or hopefully they don’t). But I already made the switch and I don’t feel any reason to switch back at the moment.

Why I like iPhone: 1 - It doesn’t change much over generations which helps with not having to buy new accessories the whole time.

2 - It doesn’t allow me to change much so I don’t bother changing much (I still do the dev betas etc, but they are not as time consuming as Roms)

3 - They don’t generally try to be first to the market

4 - Privacy is better than commercial Android (I know you can get Android builds that are better)

5 - I like(d) that the App Store is the only way you can get Apps

6 - I like the eco system (I now have homepods, apple tv, macbook, iPad, iPhone, airpods and watch) - I know Samsung has a good one, but too late.

7 - Homekit/Homekey and carplay/carkey - I literally can walk around without keys. (I know this isn’t unique, but again when I bought by car Apple was the only option)

8 - I don’t feel like I have to upgrade every year.

I think I can do most my likes with Android as well. I just like the way Apple does it currently and they restrict some of my shortcomings.

It already has the playstore which was 2 years post gingerbread.

To me it looks like what my SGS3 looked like on ICS or JB. That is definitely touchwiz though.

Sorry I assumed the whole GCC rail was called Etihad rail. Must be only in UAE.

But it looks like people will be able to get from the GCC rail to Riyadh. Hopefully the stations are close to one another.

If I had to guess, the Dubai Master Plan from the 60s was probably car driven. They have to break down a lot of structures to create the metro, as well as the New Etihad Rail.

The comment about the app is more to explain the difficulties in using public transport in 50 degrees celsius if you had to wait at a bus stop.

I don’t know many rich people that take the train, so I don’t think it is specifically aimed for them. There is a first class cabin, but it is very small in my opinion.

The train does go through a lot of the richer areas yes. But I think that is mostly to get people to their places of work there.

If you are a solo traveller, the metro is a cheaper alternative to driving.

Unfortunately, here the transport card is still a must

Nice video. Do you know if there is any interconnecting linking to the Etihad rail from the metro. From the news sources here it is mentioned that connection to Saudi and Oman will be connected with the UAE, but I haven’t seen any more details.

I have only recently gone to Dubai Creek and the traffic in and out of there was really bad. I think they are targeting the highest chance of ridership first. I think the people going towards Sharjah is probably going to be the most numerous.

Personally I am more interested in the parallel line to Al Maktuom Airport, but I guess the ridership will be too little now.

Everything we know so far about Dubai Metro’s underground Blue Line

Sorry I stated that incorrectly, 800 meters to a public transport station. The bus picking you up to the stations does stop every few hundred meters at the different bus stops (from the parts that I have seen). There is also an app so you can follow the bus to your pick up spot so you don’t have to burn in the heat waiting during summer and only exit your building once they are close. I haven’t taken the RTA busses, but it works with the same card as the train, but I can’t say how good it is.

Also remember the London underground has more than a hundred years on this Metro system. It doesn’t cover nearly as much. I don’t know how much the RTA busses cover. I have never needed to go to the parts that the Metro doesn’t cover.

No worries.

From the link you posted, what they did to address those concerns:

In November 2020, the United Arab Emirates overhauled its legal system to loosen restrictions on alcohol consumption, permit cohabitation, and increase penalty for honor killings, among other changes

Not that I think that those things were the big changes, but the headline articles about what we find strange (in the western parts of the world) hasn’t been there, except for the guy who got his fine upgraded to jail time for the incident with airport staff.

Okay, fair enough I guess.

You do know the UAE is a different country than Qatar?

I have lived on 4 continents now and before I came to live here I had a very skewed view of how the UAE is. There laws are very consistent with the rest of the western world. You probably know someone that works here or has worked here recently and asked them how it is here.

Uhm, I stay here and I want the public transport to get better, which it is. Except for my work, I can reach most of my points of interests already without a car.

There is a proper sewer system. I think you are probably referring to the Burj Khalifa’s first 2 months when they had problems connecting it to the sewerage system, but that has already been done. There were other hiccups and needed to have a part of it upgraded, but it was connected to the sewerage system very closely after the opening.

Some of the buildings are inspired by buildings in America, but there are influences from all around the world.