Thousands line up for latest iPhone
Source: Agencies |
October 15, 2011, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
APPLE'S new iPhone went on sale in stores across the globe yesterday, prompting thousands to queue around city blocks to snap up the final gadget unveiled during the life of co-founder Steve Jobs, who died last week.
Queues wound down the street in Sydney, Tokyo, London, Paris and Munich as fans gathered to get their hands on the iPhone 4S, ahead of later store sales in North America.
"I am a fan, a big fan. I want something to remember Steve Jobs by," said Haruko Shiraishi, waiting patiently with her Yorkshire terrier Miu Miu at the end of an eight block queue in Tokyo's smart Ginza shopping district.
It is not yet known when the phone will be available in China.
The new model looks similar to the previous iPhone 4 but has an upgraded camera, faster processor and voice-activated software that allows users to ask questions.
The phone - introduced just a day before Jobs died - was initially dubbed a disappointment because it fell short of being a revolution in design, but glowing reviews centered on its "Siri" voice-activated software have helped it set a record pace in initial online orders.
Australian Tom Mosca, the first to buy the phone in Sydney, said he would ask his new white iPhone: "Where is Steve?" Many Apple fans believe iPhone 4S means "for Steve."
Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook and his senior colleagues hope the first device sold without their visionary leader at the helm will protect them against a growing challenge from the likes of Samsung Electronics.
The South Korean firm, Apple's arch-rival in smartphones powered by Google's Android software, is expected to overtake Apple as the world's biggest smartphone vendor in terms of units sold in the third quarter.
Apple took more than a million online orders in the first 24 hours of the new model's release, exceeding the 600,000 for the iPhone 4, though that model was sold in fewer countries initially.
Analyst Ben Wood, of market researcher CCS Insight, said: "Despite the initial disappointment that this was not an iPhone 5, we are seeing the usual frenzy we are used to on launch day."
He said analysts expect a few million phones to be sold globally in the first weekend.
Some analysts expect fourth-quarter iPhone shipments to reach 30 million or more, almost twice as many as a year ago.
Philippe, a 62-year-old lawyer in Paris, said: "We lined up for the first iPhone when it came out, and we have bought everything Apple has made since."
The launch was marred by widespread complaints on the Internet this week concerning problems downloading iOS 5, the latest version of Apple's mobile software.
There were also problems with iCloud, Apple's online communications, media storage and backup service launched on Wednesday, with users reporting glitches such as losing e-mail access.
Queues in Paris were smaller than those normally seen at an iPhone launch, but in London the queues were as large as ever. In Regent Street, the queue wound down a side street and into a park, where Starbucks put up a mobile stand to serve coffee. Of 26 people canvassed there by reporters, nine were switching from other phones.
"This is rubbish," said one man of his Blackberry after owner Research in Motion grappled for days with an international blackout of e-mail and messaging services.
Apple fans in Sydney and Tokyo made Jobs a part of the iPhone 4S launch, with flower, candle and photo shrines outside the stores.
Queues wound down the street in Sydney, Tokyo, London, Paris and Munich as fans gathered to get their hands on the iPhone 4S, ahead of later store sales in North America.
"I am a fan, a big fan. I want something to remember Steve Jobs by," said Haruko Shiraishi, waiting patiently with her Yorkshire terrier Miu Miu at the end of an eight block queue in Tokyo's smart Ginza shopping district.
It is not yet known when the phone will be available in China.
The new model looks similar to the previous iPhone 4 but has an upgraded camera, faster processor and voice-activated software that allows users to ask questions.
The phone - introduced just a day before Jobs died - was initially dubbed a disappointment because it fell short of being a revolution in design, but glowing reviews centered on its "Siri" voice-activated software have helped it set a record pace in initial online orders.
Australian Tom Mosca, the first to buy the phone in Sydney, said he would ask his new white iPhone: "Where is Steve?" Many Apple fans believe iPhone 4S means "for Steve."
Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook and his senior colleagues hope the first device sold without their visionary leader at the helm will protect them against a growing challenge from the likes of Samsung Electronics.
The South Korean firm, Apple's arch-rival in smartphones powered by Google's Android software, is expected to overtake Apple as the world's biggest smartphone vendor in terms of units sold in the third quarter.
Apple took more than a million online orders in the first 24 hours of the new model's release, exceeding the 600,000 for the iPhone 4, though that model was sold in fewer countries initially.
Analyst Ben Wood, of market researcher CCS Insight, said: "Despite the initial disappointment that this was not an iPhone 5, we are seeing the usual frenzy we are used to on launch day."
He said analysts expect a few million phones to be sold globally in the first weekend.
Some analysts expect fourth-quarter iPhone shipments to reach 30 million or more, almost twice as many as a year ago.
Philippe, a 62-year-old lawyer in Paris, said: "We lined up for the first iPhone when it came out, and we have bought everything Apple has made since."
The launch was marred by widespread complaints on the Internet this week concerning problems downloading iOS 5, the latest version of Apple's mobile software.
There were also problems with iCloud, Apple's online communications, media storage and backup service launched on Wednesday, with users reporting glitches such as losing e-mail access.
Queues in Paris were smaller than those normally seen at an iPhone launch, but in London the queues were as large as ever. In Regent Street, the queue wound down a side street and into a park, where Starbucks put up a mobile stand to serve coffee. Of 26 people canvassed there by reporters, nine were switching from other phones.
"This is rubbish," said one man of his Blackberry after owner Research in Motion grappled for days with an international blackout of e-mail and messaging services.
Apple fans in Sydney and Tokyo made Jobs a part of the iPhone 4S launch, with flower, candle and photo shrines outside the stores.
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