iPhone 4S launch draws crowds at Apple stores around the world

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
The debut of Apple's latest smartphone on Friday has drawn huge crowds at Apple stores around the world, including a long, rain-soaked line at the company's flagship Fifth Avenue store.



Today the iPhone 4S launches in the U.S., Canada, Australia, the U.K., France, Germany and Japan. Stores have opened at 8 a.m. local time to begin selling the device, which features Siri voice recognition and a speedy dual-core A5 chip.



In the U.S., at Apple's flagship store in New York City, a long line braved poor weather to be among the first to get their hands on the iPhone 4S. AppleInsider reader Ryan sent along photos and video (below), and noted that the line wrapped around two sides of the block as of 7:30 a.m. For comparison, the iPhone 4 launch crowd was four sides of the block, though weather conditions were better.



The iPhone 4S is available in black and white, and in capacities of 16GB, 32GB and 64GB. It starts at $199 with a new two-year service contract in the U.S.



This year marks the first time a new iPhone will debut on three carriers in America. In addition to AT&T, which has carried the iPhone since 2007, the iPhone 4S is also available at launch on Verizon and Sprint.















Australians were the first in the world to buy the iPhone 4S at an Apple Store, and TechGuide was on hand in Sydney, where a large crowd was cheered on by Apple employees for the start of sales. Customers were handed cards to help them identify the color and capacity of the iPhone 4S model they planned to buy.



Many customers turn to waiting in line at retail stores to buy the iPhone 4S on launch day because online orders sell out quickly. Almost immediately, Apple sold out of its initial run of preorders, and customers hoping to get a handset on launch day were given a shipping estimate of one to two weeks.







Apple announced earlier this week that it set a new record by pre-selling one million iPhone 4S preorders on the first day. That topped the 600,000 preorders of the iPhone 4 sold in one day 2010.



Analysts expect the iPhone 4S to be a hot seller beyond this launch weekend, throughout the holiday buying season and over the next year. A set of recent predictions from Wall Street analysts called for 3 million sales on the launch weekend, and 25 million this year.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 79
    This will always be retarded to me, but I guess it's probably an event I'd have to be there to understand.



    Then again...as someone who isn't fanatic about anything (I use to work around celebrities when I was out of college and my boss was shocked and how little fuck I gave) I doubt I could possibly understand.



    But yea...in other news...water is wet -_- lol
  • Reply 2 of 79
    Looks like a lot of the Wall Street protesters went to the Apple Store overnight.



    (to watch the Wall Street workers buy the new phone?)
  • Reply 3 of 79
    My wife and I and the kids went to Apple Store for the launch of Leopard. We all got free t-shirts and there was a lot of fun meeting other people and watching others at the mall wonder what kind of weird people we are. The Apple employees kept bringing water out and high fived and cheered us as they opened. Fun to do once. Waiting for UPS to bring me this one. (On the truck, out for delivery!)



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AbsoluteDesignz View Post


    This will always be retarded to me, but I guess it's probably an event I'd have to be there to understand.



    Then again...as someone who isn't fanatic about anything (I use to work around celebrities when I was out of college and my boss was shocked and how little fuck I gave) I doubt I could possibly understand.



    But yea...in other news...water is wet -_- lol



  • Reply 4 of 79
    I'm at the Burlington, MA store, 30min outside of Boston. Got here at 5am to see 7 people ahead of me. The line at 8 was maybe 60 or 70 deep, but hard to tell from where I was in line.



    I went for the 64GB black on AT&T.
  • Reply 5 of 79
    Where are the posts from those bozos who were here a week ago at the launch, telling us no one was going to buy this phone, and that Apple had made a fatal miscalculation? I suppose they are in line, hope to get their 4s.
  • Reply 6 of 79
    It's more the experience of anticipation. It's fun in a way. U hang out with other fans n get that moment when it's in ur hands after waiting. U do appreciate the phone a little more than just a phone.
  • Reply 7 of 79
    richlrichl Posts: 2,213member
    Got mine! Great phone but disappointed that a lot of the Siri functionality isn't available in the UK yet.
  • Reply 8 of 79
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Bwana_Dik View Post


    Where are the posts from those bozos who were here a week ago at the launch, telling us no one was going to buy this phone, and that Apple had made a fatal miscalculation? I suppose they are in line, hope to get their 4s.



    It was a trick you see?! Their futile attempt was to eliminate long lines before their dash to the Apple stores!
  • Reply 9 of 79
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AjbDtc826 View Post


    It's more the experience of anticipation. It's fun in a way. U hang out with other fans n get that moment when it's in ur hands after waiting. U do appreciate the phone a little more than just a phone.



    In the words of Anton Chigurh "Which it is"
  • Reply 10 of 79
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by RichL View Post


    Got mine! Great phone but disappointed that a lot of the Siri functionality isn't available in the UK yet.



    And how's that possible? I thought its functionality is all within the phone.
  • Reply 11 of 79
    lilgto64lilgto64 Posts: 1,147member
    AI please stop publishing these terrible lies - the analysts said that the iPhone 4S announcement was dissapointing and that Android would soon take over. So this story is obvsouly just that - a story. Its all hype and propoganda created to fuel the myth that people actually WANT to buy an inferior product just because the media says "Apple is Cool" Clearly the Analysts are the only ones strong-willed enough to see through the Steve Jobs' Reality Distortion Field - and now that he has been struck down he has become more powerful than you shall ever know. So please just saves us all the time and trouble and get back to the reports where the analysts tell us how the world REALLY works so that we stop being duped.



    Huh, what's that you say? turns out the analysts were wrong AGAIN, who'da thunk it?
  • Reply 12 of 79
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AjbDtc826 View Post


    It's more the experience of anticipation. It's fun in a way. U hang out with other fans n get that moment when it's in ur hands after waiting. U do appreciate the phone a little more than just a phone.



    I did the line-waiting for the iPad 2. It was worth it for the experience. Not sure I would do it again, though. I have an iPhone and an iPad. I can wait the extra time for delivery. On the other hand, I might do it for the next new iDevice I don't think I can live without.
  • Reply 13 of 79
    Yeah, because there's not enough people in Manhattan to form more than one over-night gathering.
  • Reply 14 of 79
    al_bundyal_bundy Posts: 1,525member
    did apple stores start selling the droid bionic? what's with all the lines?
  • Reply 15 of 79
    al_bundyal_bundy Posts: 1,525member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by dasanman69 View Post


    And how's that possible? I thought its functionality is all within the phone.



    yes, the 16GB phone holds the entire knowledge of the world inside it



    in the keynote they said it goes out to wolfram alpha, yelp and other partners for the data
  • Reply 16 of 79
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by al_bundy View Post


    did apple stores start selling the droid bionic? what's with all the lines?



    You're on the wrong line, the Ferguson toilet bowl line is at home depot.
  • Reply 17 of 79
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by lilgto64 View Post


    AI please stop publishing these terrible lies - the analysts said that the iPhone 4S announcement was dissapointing and that Android would soon take over. So this story is obvsouly just that - a story. Its all hype and propoganda created to fuel the myth that people actually WANT to buy an inferior product just because the media says "Apple is Cool" Clearly the Analysts are the only ones strong-willed enough to see through the Steve Jobs' Reality Distortion Field - and now that he has been struck down he has become more powerful than you shall ever know. So please just saves us all the time and trouble and get back to the reports where the analysts tell us how the world REALLY works so that we stop being duped.



    Huh, what's that you say? turns out the analysts were wrong AGAIN, who'da thunk it?



    I used to think meteorologists had the market cornered on being wrong. Who actually listens to analysts, anyway--besides the people that just make fun of them.
  • Reply 18 of 79
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AbsoluteDesignz View Post


    This will always be retarded to me, but I guess it's probably an event I'd have to be there to understand.



    Then again...as someone who isn't fanatic about anything (I use to work around celebrities when I was out of college and my boss was shocked and how little fuck I gave) I doubt I could possibly understand.



    But yea...in other news...water is wet -_- lol



    thats why you are the first to comment, right?
  • Reply 19 of 79
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by al_bundy View Post


    yes, the 16GB phone holds the entire knowledge of the world inside it



    in the keynote they said it goes out to wolfram alpha, yelp and other partners for the data



    Mr al Bundy, you of all people should know sarcasm when you see it.
  • Reply 20 of 79
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by screamingfist View Post


    thats why you are the first to comment, right?



    somewhere I believe YOU believe you had a point...or something...



    My comment was harmless...
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