Hello,
We are a registered Saudi establishment (Ofuq Altaleem Althaki Establishment). Like millions of people before us, we believed Steve Jobs when he said "it just works." We now understand that he was talking about the iPhone, not the process of becoming an Apple developer.
Allow us to share our inspiring journey, which we recommend to anyone who has too much free time and too little stress in their life:
Day 1 (Oct 24): The Leap of Faith
We requested a D-U-N-S number through Apple's own official form. We clicked "Submit" with the innocent optimism of someone who has never dealt with Apple's account process before. We received nothing. No confirmation. No email. No status page. Not even a "we got it, now go away." The request didn't fail. It achieved enlightenment and left this world.
Day 6 (Oct 29): The Search Party
We opened two Apple Developer Support cases (103012983445 and 103012984322). Apple responded instantly, with two automated replies of remarkable literary quality. Then it went silent. Not "busy" silent. Monastery silent. We have since heard more from our microwave.
Day 7 (Oct 30): The Detective Work
Since nobody else was looking, we searched D&B's database ourselves. The result? Our request never reached D&B. Apple's form, it turns out, is less of a form and more of a very elegant black hole with rounded corners. So we did Apple's job for free and filed directly with D&B (Case #34977456). D&B replied, with admirable confidence, that it will take "7–14 business days." Two weeks. To type nine digits. We assume each digit is hand-carved in stone, then delivered by a camel.
Meanwhile, back home:
In Saudi Arabia, anyone can verify our establishment in about 4 seconds: name, owner, address, status, everything. Don't take our word for it. Try it yourself, and feel free to time it:
- Ministry of Commerce, commercial registration lookup: https://mc.gov.sa/ar/eservices/Pages/Commercial-data.aspx
- Saudi Business Center, official e-store authentication certificate: https://eauthenticate.saudibusiness.gov.sa/certificate-details/0000336735
Apple, here's a business idea: sell these two links to D&B. At the speed they work, they'll think it's revolutionary technology from the future. You could even call it "D&B Pro." They'd pay anything to skip 14 days of carving digits into stone.
Our government went digital. Our banks went digital. Our coffee orders went digital. Apple, the company that put a computer in everyone's pocket, apparently still needs a carrier pigeon, a fax machine and a prayer to confirm we exist.
Let that sink in: the world's most valuable tech company outsources verification to a company that needs 14 business days to confirm something any official government portal shows in 4 seconds. That's not a verification process. That's a waiting room with a logo.
Our questions for Apple staff, or for any developer who survived this rite of passage:
- Is there a secret status page for D-U-N-S requests submitted through Apple's form, or do they go to the same place as AirPods that fall on the subway tracks?
- Has anyone from Saudi Arabia or the Middle East actually completed this? How long did it take, and did you have to pass the request down to your grandchildren?
- When a request submitted through Apple's own form vanishes, does Apple escalate it with D&B, or is the official procedure to light a candle, face Cupertino and wait?
- Should we ask Siri? We tried. She said, "Here's what I found on the web."
We remain big fans of Apple products. They just work. Becoming an Apple developer, apparently, does not.
Thank you in advance. We'll be here. Waiting. As usual.