Long lines formed outside Apple stores around the world, a sign of strong demand from consumers waiting for the company’s 10th anniversary iPhone X.
Beginning Thursday night, crowds surrounded Apple’s retail stores in Singapore, Japan, and Australia, recalling the throngs that formed on the first day of iPhone sales on June 29, 2007. One big difference is the price: the iPhone X starts at $999, double the $499 entry-level price of the first version.
With buoyant demand for the new handset, Apple said Thursday it will have record revenue of $84 billion to $87 billion during the holiday quarter, easing concerns among investors that production problems would undercut sales. A strong rally for the company’s stock today would push Apple within reach of a $900 billion market capitalization, solidifying its position as the world’s most valuable public company.
Videos and photos published on Twitter showed security guards sectioning off those waiting in line outside Apple’s Orchard Road store in Singapore. In Sydney, fans set up lawn chairs while others sold their spots in line just hours before the phone was scheduled to go on sale in the region. Lines outside Tokyo’s Ginza Apple Store snaked down more than two blocks. In London, Apple employees cheered as the first customers exited the store after buying the new handset.
Mazen Kourouche was among the first to get the iPhone X on Friday at the Apple Store in Sydney, which opened at 8 a.m. local time, an hour earlier than usual. The software engineering student, who pre-ordered the X, said he upgrades his iPhone every year.
“The whole size and the screen and the new dimension of it, that’s the most beneficial feature for me,” Kourouche said. “It’s a full screen — edge to edge — it looks nice.”
At the Apple store in Tokyo, Iori Watanabe and his brother arrived two days early to be the first ones in a line of more than 500 people. Watanabe, a 21-year-old who works at camera maker Olympus Corp., said he wanted to replace his iPhone 5 and was most interested in the new phone for its screen and facial-recognition technology.
Apple is known for creating hype around each new iPhone launch. But in recent years, online pre-orders and other buying options reduced store lines. This year, Apple has marketed the iPhone X heavily, and new features like facial recognition and the edge-to-edge screen are stoking demand.
Concern about limited initial supplies of the phone may also have drawn shoppers to Apple stores on launch day. In an announcement last month, Apple encouraged those without reservations to “arrive early,” an indication of its anticipated crowds. Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook said Thursday that demand for the iPhone X was “very, very strong,” without being more specific.