San Francisco Apple Store's iPhone 5s line wraps around the block
Three hours before the store is scheduled to open, a line of more that 150 hopeful iPhone buyers stretched down the street and around the block.
Some at the beginning of the line were huddled in blankets (above), having camped overnight for the device. New additions to the line joined every few minutes as the queue stretched down Powell Street and around the corner at O'Farrell, in the otherwise quiet Union Square shopping district.
Similarly long lines have been reported in China, which was for the first time ever among the initial countries to participate in the first day of Apple's launch, as well as London, Los Angeles, New York and other cities.
One reason the new iPhone is still generating lines at its seventh annual launch is that Apple's supply of the iPhone 5s, particularly in the new gold finish, is reported to be in limited supply, making it difficult (but not impossible, below) to obtain.
Apple has instituted purchasing limits for line holders, restricting iPhone 5c models to ten units per person, while the more scarce iPhone 5s is limited to two devices.
In part, this scarcity is due to production challenges of meeting demand for the new Touch ID sensor. Apple faces the enormous task of building millions of the new devices to meet the anticipated demand over its initial launch weekend, products which must be flawless from day one.
That operational circus act comes just days after the mega-launch of iOS 7, which caused major ripples in the Internet as Apple rolled out the biggest, fastest mobile device upgrade ever.
This is the first time Apple (or anyone) has built such a Touch ID sensor, which improves upon previous, unsuccessful attempts to incorporate practical fingerprint-based authentication into a mobile device.
Apple's design uses a new sapphire lens element to protect the fragile capacitive sensor, which industry expert Geppy Parziale had earlier predicted would not stand up to everyday use.
"Constant usage of the sensor starts to destroy the capacitors and over time, the fingerprint sensor stops to work," Parziale gravely warned early last month before Apple had demonstrated how its design worked.
Thousands of fans of Apple's product design are ready to wait in line for the new device, expecting that the company's new product works as advertised. Initial product reviews have raved that it does.
Some at the beginning of the line were huddled in blankets (above), having camped overnight for the device. New additions to the line joined every few minutes as the queue stretched down Powell Street and around the corner at O'Farrell, in the otherwise quiet Union Square shopping district.
Similarly long lines have been reported in China, which was for the first time ever among the initial countries to participate in the first day of Apple's launch, as well as London, Los Angeles, New York and other cities.
One reason the new iPhone is still generating lines at its seventh annual launch is that Apple's supply of the iPhone 5s, particularly in the new gold finish, is reported to be in limited supply, making it difficult (but not impossible, below) to obtain.
Apple has instituted purchasing limits for line holders, restricting iPhone 5c models to ten units per person, while the more scarce iPhone 5s is limited to two devices.
In part, this scarcity is due to production challenges of meeting demand for the new Touch ID sensor. Apple faces the enormous task of building millions of the new devices to meet the anticipated demand over its initial launch weekend, products which must be flawless from day one.
That operational circus act comes just days after the mega-launch of iOS 7, which caused major ripples in the Internet as Apple rolled out the biggest, fastest mobile device upgrade ever.
This is the first time Apple (or anyone) has built such a Touch ID sensor, which improves upon previous, unsuccessful attempts to incorporate practical fingerprint-based authentication into a mobile device.
Apple's design uses a new sapphire lens element to protect the fragile capacitive sensor, which industry expert Geppy Parziale had earlier predicted would not stand up to everyday use.
"Constant usage of the sensor starts to destroy the capacitors and over time, the fingerprint sensor stops to work," Parziale gravely warned early last month before Apple had demonstrated how its design worked.
Thousands of fans of Apple's product design are ready to wait in line for the new device, expecting that the company's new product works as advertised. Initial product reviews have raved that it does.
Comments
Ordered mine online at 12:08. The website didn't open until almost 12:05 for me.
Based on the first 30 minutes, looks like the unlocked versions are going to be the ones that sell out the quickest...and the gold ones.
At the point of ordering, it's telling me it will arrive by Oct.8-11th. That might be the fastest for the configuration I got since I was on the website and order as fast as I possibly could.
I got the Gold Unlocked one, because "gold is best, best, best."
http://teamcoco.com/video/conan-highlight-gold-iphone
GOLD IS BEST!! lol!!
GOLD IS BEST!! lol!!
yeah it will match my grille work and chains...
All the people that said Apple has lost it's touch to invent and that there will be no demand for the new iPhones can swallow their words now. Apple invented the fingerprint scanner and the gold colored phone, expect other manufactures to copy these Apple inventions in the months to come.
So I got gold, for a sort of secret, hidden, bling factor, like wearing Swarowski underwear but less painful
Where's Woz?
At home, playing with his five Android devices, and thinking himself clothed.
sales of high end droid phones (not all the cheap stuff) are going to drop significantly immediately, and stay down until the OEM's come up with the own biometric sensors of some kind in new models. and if they don't work as instantly, easily, and reliably as Touch ID, they still won't be enough.
What happened to the good old days when discussions on queues started and stopped with the 5th Ave. store?
New York City is doomed!
Had a chance to play with all the new models this morning, and the gold actually isn't "gold", it's a very light champagne colour, and it's VERY nice!
Also, for the "cheap" nay-sayers, the iPhone 5C feels AMAZING in your hand, far more substantial than the 5S, and in some ways, actually better because of the added weight!
The 5C sales will increase a LOT once people have had a chance to pick them up and play with them in stores. Prediction.
Had a chance to play with all the new models this morning, and the gold actually isn't "gold", it's a very light champagne colour, and it's VERY nice!
Also, for the "cheap" nay-sayers, the iPhone 5C feels AMAZING in your hand, far more substantial than the 5S, and in some ways, actually better because of the added weight!
I completely agree with you! My better-half wanted the "She-Hulk" Green 5c and that's what she got. After holding and playing with both. I am still convinced the 5c is the better design but i still got (and still waiting) for my gold 5s. "Gold is best". I could have prolly waited in line at the SF store (since I was literally 2 blocks away awake in my hotel room at midnight before launch) and got a black one on opening day...which still urks me that people are walking around with 5s phones now and I'm still waiting. Apple still says Oct. 8-11 for my delivery.