Apple fans line up for iPhone 11, Apple Watch Series 5 as first orders arrive
From Singapore to Dubai, die-hard Apple fans around the world are once again taking part in an annual rite of passage: queuing up and braving the elements, sometimes overnight, to be one of the first to own this year's iPhone.
Apple Ginza on Friday, Sept. 20. | Source: xeno_twit via Twitter
Customers began to form lines in front of Apple stores in Dubai, Japan, Singapore and other locales late Thursday and early Friday in anticipation of a start to brick-and-mortar store sales of iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max and Apple Watch Series 5. As in years past, line-waiters shared photos of their experience online.
Security guards were out in force Friday morning to help fans -- and perhaps a few scalpers -- form tidy lines in front of Japan's new Marunouchi store in Tokyo. While not the onslaught of years past, about a dozen people were present at 5:30 a.m., according to one Twitter user.
A similar scene is unfolding a few blocks away at Apple Ginza, while Apple Omotesando, which is due to open in tandem with the launch iPhone 11, saw a couple stalwart fans peer into its windows in the morning's wee hours. A few hours before opening, staff at the Ginza store carted out apple juice, tea and pastries to those waiting in line, as customers at the Omotesando location were offered coffee and bread.
Apple Omotesando prepares for iPhone 11. | Source: Twitter
Apple Dubai's massive glass doors opened to a clutch of overnight campers.
Apple Krntner Strae in Vienna, Austria, is also hosting a small line ahead of Friday's launch.
Evidence of queues has yet to surface in the U.S., though it appears Apple is not allowing lines to form at certain high-profile locations. For example, staff are telling customers to move along at Apple Fifth Avenue, which reopens Friday after a long renovation period.
Just west of the international dateline in New Zealand and Australia, iPhone 11 and Apple Watch Series 5 are starting to land on the doorsteps of preorder customers. Availability will expand to Asia and Europe in the coming hours, with North and South America slated to gain access last.
Don't forget to check out AppleInsider's top setup tips when that shiny new iPhone arrives.
Apple Ginza on Friday, Sept. 20. | Source: xeno_twit via Twitter
Customers began to form lines in front of Apple stores in Dubai, Japan, Singapore and other locales late Thursday and early Friday in anticipation of a start to brick-and-mortar store sales of iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max and Apple Watch Series 5. As in years past, line-waiters shared photos of their experience online.
Security guards were out in force Friday morning to help fans -- and perhaps a few scalpers -- form tidy lines in front of Japan's new Marunouchi store in Tokyo. While not the onslaught of years past, about a dozen people were present at 5:30 a.m., according to one Twitter user.
A similar scene is unfolding a few blocks away at Apple Ginza, while Apple Omotesando, which is due to open in tandem with the launch iPhone 11, saw a couple stalwart fans peer into its windows in the morning's wee hours. A few hours before opening, staff at the Ginza store carted out apple juice, tea and pastries to those waiting in line, as customers at the Omotesando location were offered coffee and bread.
Apple Omotesando prepares for iPhone 11. | Source: Twitter
Apple Dubai's massive glass doors opened to a clutch of overnight campers.
Another iPhone launch another crazy scene. Can't believe people actually wait in a queue for a full night to pay money! #Apple #IPhone11 #Madness pic.twitter.com/dWUFKFLefF
— Yahya Munir (@yahya__munir)
Apple Krntner Strae in Vienna, Austria, is also hosting a small line ahead of Friday's launch.
Ist ab morgen etwa das #iPhone11 in Wien erhltlich!? #apple #store #krntnerstrae pic.twitter.com/xPnVvdHu4f
— Christopher Abel (@abelinho87_)
Evidence of queues has yet to surface in the U.S., though it appears Apple is not allowing lines to form at certain high-profile locations. For example, staff are telling customers to move along at Apple Fifth Avenue, which reopens Friday after a long renovation period.
Just west of the international dateline in New Zealand and Australia, iPhone 11 and Apple Watch Series 5 are starting to land on the doorsteps of preorder customers. Availability will expand to Asia and Europe in the coming hours, with North and South America slated to gain access last.
Don't forget to check out AppleInsider's top setup tips when that shiny new iPhone arrives.
Comments
I don't think I have the patience nor stamina to try that now. I'll wait till next month to check out the new phones in person; especially since I'm waiting to see if there's an iPad event in October.
I'm not going to criticize anybody who chooses to line up outside an Apple store to get a certain product, since I've done it myself before.
And guess what, I don't regret it and overall it was a fun experience. You get to meet and talk with many different people from all walks of life that all share at least one common interest.
To the people who say they don't have the time, well maybe they should get a life, because I feel sorry for anybody who is so busy either with work or with other things that they wouldn't have the time to spare and just go and do whatever they please every once in a while. And if somebody chooses to spend a night waiting on an Apple line along with some friends or perhaps making new friends, then who are you to judge them?
Oh well, some day . . .
(Do you think anyone would think I'm weird if I did this on a normal day, with no new releases?? ha ha )
It's a social thing.
Why do people watch movies on release day when they can wait a month or get it on DVD in 3 months?
Let people have fun with their time. I wish I had the time too but it doesn't make me envious of them. Some of the best memories of my life were waiting in lines with fellow fans of video games and consoles. You wouldn't understand.
Being a hermit at home is a lot more fun *eye roll*.