Magnus Nystedt is Director of Communications at CENTIMETERCUBE, a Dubai-based architecture, design, and publishing company, where he also serves as Managing Editor of Shufflegazine, a monthly Apple lifestyle magazine. Magnus is a massive Apple fan, launching and running EmiratesMac.com since 2005. He is now considered an authority on all things Apple in the Middle East.

Q. Tell us about EmiratesMac.com and the beginnings of Shufflegazine.
A. EmiratesMac.com started as a blog back in 2005, when we moved to the UAE. Then, in early 2006, it grew into the forum you can see today, where anyone can register for free and ask for help with problems or just hang out with other Apple fans. EmiratesMac is also an Apple User Group registered with Apple in California, the only such group in the GCC, and we have monthly meetings in Dubai for members. The user group got started in 2006 and as a part of that we started Shuffle, the user group's monthly newsletter. From April 2007 Shuffle was printed in up to 9000 copies and distributed mainly in UAE but also in other countries in the region. When I started working for CENTIMETERCUBE in July 2008 the work began on turning Shuffle into the commercial Shufflegazine magazine and the first issue of the new magazine came out in October 2008.  We've faced many challenges over the short life of Shufflegazine and we've learned a lot, that's for sure. It's still a very small team, about 10 people, who work on the magazine and we do everything ourselves, from writing to translation, design and more. It's important for us to have that local connection and a critical part of that is that all content is in English as well as Arabic. Omran Al-Owais, the owner of CENTIMETERCUBE and Editor in Chief of Shufflegazine, was actually, at first, a bit hesitant towards including Arabic but now we all agree it's a vital aspect of Shufflegazine. That local connection, in ownership, production as well as language, makes Shufflegazine a very unique offering in the market. We're all very passionate Apple fans so we write about the things we love and use every day. 

Q. How has the response been to an Apple only publication in the UAE and which other markets are looking promising? Tell us about Apple user numbers in the UAE or GCC if possible (Mac, iPhone ... etc). 

A. It takes time to get a new magazine out to the marketplace so readers can get a hold of it. But we're very excited with the just-announced partnership with Abu Dhabi Media Company and their distribution department. They're distributing Shufflegazine since our April issue and from May it's been going out to most of the countries in the GCC. Even though Shufflegazine has been available in a handful of outlets across the GCC until now, this will be the first widespread exposure to markets outside the UAE and it will be many months yet before we can gauge the reception of the magazine.  In terms of how many Mac users there are in the Middle East, it's almost impossible to say. The few organizations that we can assume would know those numbers, like Arab Business Machine (ABM), the exclusive distributor of Apple products in the region, don't publicize any such figures. All we can do is to look at the worldwide figures for Mac users, sales, iPhone customers, etc. and "guesstimate" what the corresponding numbers are for this part of the world. What I'm certain of, however, is that the Mac is increasing in market share here faster than elsewhere, because we see that in shops, on EmiratesMac.com and of course with Shufflegazine. That iPhone finally arrived here in UAE and Saudi Arabia in February which also helps of course, as it is an effective "gateway product", luring first-time Mac customers to spend money on an Apple computer. 

Q. Have you received any support or appreciation from Apple's international or regional headquarters? 

A. When Shufflegazine was Shuffle, the non-profit newsletter given away for free, they sponsored EmiratesMac User Group to produce the newsletter, which was great help. Now that it's Shufflegazine we haven't yet reached an understanding with ABM, the local Apple distributor, over Shufflegazine. We of course feel that being the only Apple-focused magazine produced in the Middle East, with articles in Arabic and English, means they should be a natural part of Shufflegazine, so we look forward to what will develop in the future. We know for sure that both ABM and Apple Inc. in California know about Shufflegazine because we know people in both companies and we also follow the traffic to their web sites. But regardless of our relationship with them, we produce the magazine for our readers, for Apple fans. Whether you're a long-time Apple fan or someone who is just starting out, Shufflegazine should be a magazine you'd want to read and learn something from. Combining the printed magazine with online services like blog (on Shufflegazine.com), free online issues (at shufflegazineonline.com), behind the scenes photos (at shufflegazine.tumblr.com), Twitter (at twitter.com/shufflegazine), Facebook (shuffle.to/facebook), and more, we're confident we're reaching out to Apple fans throughout the region. With the two web sites, especially EmiratesMac.com since it's been established longer, we get a lot of traffic. I receive many emails every week asking where to buy Apple products or where to get service. In that respect, I guess we've come full circle; as that's why I started the site in the first place. Now users around the region have a place to go to for help, support, chatting, and more.   

Q. What is your favorite Apple product or the Apple products are you using daily? And who are the biggest competitors of these products? 

A. My favorite Apple product of all time is Powerbook 12-inch. It was a great computer in a small package, especially for its time. Even the MacBook Air today, even though it's very thin, doesn't provide me with that same feeling. Today, I of course like my MacBook and my iPhone and I use them all the time. At work I use a Mac Pro with dual Apple displays for most work. At home we have an Apple TV and a Mac mini serving as our media center. I also have, of course, various iPod models and Apple software. So I use on a regular basis a lot of the things we write about. As Managing Editor I also oversee the reviews of new products in Shufflegazine so I have the good fortune to try some of the coolest things coming out to the market.  In terms of competing products there are plenty of them but they all fall short of Apple's offerings in one way or another. For example there are plenty of cheap Windows computers but they all are hampered by the very fact that they run Windows. Macs are generally more reliable, more secure, and an all around better choice for most users. If someone wants an MP3 player there are many alternatives to iPod and most of them are cheaper. But they all lack the integration with iTunes, which is one aspect of iPods that make them so versatile and user friendly. If a customer doesn't want an iPhone there are many great phones that do pretty much the same thing but they lack the iPhone's touch interface and again they don't have the iTunes connection. Increasingly it seems that customers around the Middle East are realizing the better value Apple's products represent in terms of usability, design, reliability, and more.

Q. What’s next for CENTIMETERCUBE?                             
A. We just recently combined our two offices to one office in Deira, Dubai. That's allowed us to streamline some operations and take advantage of being in one location. CENTIMETERCUBE is an architecture, design, and publishing company and some would say those are pretty disparate activities but we see them as very complimentary; everything we do is based on design in its various forms. The architecture arm of CENTIMETERCUBE is a part of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment for Young Business Leaders, which allows us a certain credibility and access to markets that would be hard to reach otherwise. As a locally owned and operated company we feel we offer something truly unique to the market, whether it's architecture or publishing. We look very favorably on the future of CENTIMETERCUBE and we’re excited about all opportunities open to us.