Line forms at 5th Ave. Apple Store 6 days ahead of expected iPhone announcement [u]

Posted:
in iPhone edited September 2014
While Apple prepares for its Sept. 9 media event, enthusiastic fans are already lining up at the company's flagship Fifth Avenue store in New York, hoping to be one of the first in the world to nab an expected next-generation iPhone.




In what has become tradition for major Apple product launches, customers armed with foldable chairs and supplies are camping out near the Fifth Avenue Apple Store's iconic glass cube, waiting for the company to launch its next big thing.

Judging by photos sent in by reader Ryan, there appears to be around four or five line-waiters, two of whom can be seen staking their claim at the head of the pack. As in years past, the crowd is expected to grow in the days leading up to Apple's announcement. Since the event draws media attention, some companies pay employees -- or hire temporary workers -- to squat in line with branded T-shirts and prepped scripts.

This year's Fifth Avenue Apple Store line formed six days prior to the scheduled announcement, whereas customers lined up three days in advance last year for what turned out to be the iPhone 5s. Apple usually schedules product releases for second Friday following an announcement, meaning people in line could be there for well over two weeks.




At the Sept. 9 gathering, Apple is widely expected to announce next-generation iPhones with 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch screens, faster "A8" processors, boosted on-board RAM and possibly near-field communications (NFC) for a mobile payments platform. Also rumored to debut is a wearable "iWatch" device, though the latest rumblings say the final product may not launch until early 2015.

Update: The four people currently lined up in front of the Fifth Avenue Apple Store are not waiting with the sole intent of buying an unannounced Apple device, but instead to promote websites, AppleInsider has learned.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 76
    It's a tradition
  • Reply 2 of 76
    Crazy
  • Reply 3 of 76
    Good god people. I'll just walk into the store the day it's released and buy one thanks.
  • Reply 4 of 76
    They might be in the wrong time zone to be the first in the world.
  • Reply 5 of 76
    saareksaarek Posts: 1,520member

    Insane, at least wait until the announcement. Amazing how people can happily waste 2 weeks of their lives waiting outside a shop.... Muppets 

  • Reply 6 of 76

    I must be uniformed.  But are we not 6 days away from a rumored announcement, to announce  a date of when the rumored iphone 6 is going to be available?  What are they waiting in line for, the first to hear it?

  • Reply 7 of 76
    jfc1138jfc1138 Posts: 3,090member
    Ah, performance art.

    Gotta love the Big Apple!
  • Reply 8 of 76
    jfc1138jfc1138 Posts: 3,090member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by sprybry View Post

     

    I must be uniformed.  But are we not 6 days away from a rumored announcement, to announce  a date of when the rumored iphone 6 is going to be available?  What are they waiting in line for, the first to hear it?


    Some them are undoubtedly paid promoters of whatever their t-shirts are advertising.

  • Reply 9 of 76
    jfc1138jfc1138 Posts: 3,090member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by saarek View Post

     

    Insane, at least wait until the announcement. Amazing how people can happily waste 2 weeks of their lives waiting outside a shop.... Muppets 


    Some are undoubtedly getting paid by others. There's a service called taskrabbit provides people for things, sort of an extension of personal shoppers that have been around forever.

     

    NYC in particuylar is a city with a lot of people who value their time and have a LOT of disposable income. So: they "have a guy"...

  • Reply 10 of 76
    Samesung is going to have to pay big to copy this.
  • Reply 11 of 76
    jfc1138jfc1138 Posts: 3,090member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by JohnL View Post



    Samesung is going to have to pay big to copy this.

    8-)

  • Reply 12 of 76
    perhaps they are homeless and needs a place to stay )
  • Reply 13 of 76
    Apple Cult. 


    How happy it is to see, when a culture's tradition continues like this.
  • Reply 14 of 76
    So were 6 days away from announcement and most likely another 10 days after that from being released right ? Maybe they'll get lucky and it will be released on the 12th .
  • Reply 15 of 76
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by jfc1138 View Post

     

    8-)


    Instead, they will make a video and call it "Wall [Street] Huggers"

  • Reply 16 of 76
    johnl wrote: »
    Samesung is going to have to pay big to copy this.
    I'm sure they'll see samsung ads targeting them very soon like they said they were going to put samsung ads around airport electrical sockets to target "apple people "
  • Reply 17 of 76
    Shouldn't they be waiting in line at the Flint Center instead to get the news from the horses mouth?
  • Reply 18 of 76
    pazuzupazuzu Posts: 1,728member
    This so stopped being cute years ago and not something to be admired and gives everyone a reason to mock Apple fans. This only made sense when you couldn't buy online.
  • Reply 19 of 76
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member

    I mentioned this like two days ago in another thread.

  • Reply 20 of 76
    Sales start Friday, Sept 12, so I have to admire their stamina.
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