Aussie Apple fans who have been waiting in line for three long days finally got their iPhone 5 this morning.
 The line outside Sydney Apple Store at 5:30 pm yesterday. |
iPhone 5 went on sale across the nation at 8am this morning, at Apple Stores, Telstra, Optus and Vodafone outlets, with Aussie Apple fan among the first in the world to get their mitts on longer, thinner new 4G ready iPhone.
SmartHouse went to the Apple Store in George St, Sydney yesterday afternoon and spoke to ‘fans” in the fairly modest queue for the new 4″ iPhone, with 8MP camera and new connection dock.
The line assembled outide Apple was modest compared to queues previous years for iPhone 4S and iPad.
Several in the iLine were employees from phone company Phone Finder, looking to get the Apple for comparo reviews with rival devices like Samsung S III, HTC and Windows phones and give away devices to customers in website competitions.
We spoke to one Sydney based student, Amy, who had been in the queue since Tuesday, who along with her Apple peers was surviving on takeaways and the kindness of strangers, with a blanket wrapped around them bracing themselves for a last night before they get the cult device for themselves.
Why did the University of Western Sydney student queue for so long?
“I just really wanted it,” Amy said.
 Click to enlarge |
| Apple fanboys lining up outside Telstra Store, yesterday. Image: Testra |
However, queues outside Apple’s Sydney flagship store barely went around the corner, possible a reflection of the hum-drum reaction of many to its launch of the hyped up iPhone by Apple last week in New York, with many suggesting it is lack the ‘wow’ factor this time round.
Outside the Apple Bondi Junction Store in Sydney this morning, there was a loud cheer at the 8am opening, with a modest queue lined up to pay up to $1000 for an iPhone.
Apple sold 2 million of the devices on pre-sale alone globally, with Telstra, Optus and Vodafone either completely sold out or almost, so looks likely millions will be over the weekend, in the first countries to get iPhone 5 including Australia, US and UK, analysts believe.
However, not everyone is loved up over i5.
There was also a small group of protestors from a un-offical group which carries the Twitter hastag #givingupforgood, protesting at the rampant consumerism in full swing at the Apple Store, yesterday.
Three individuals from the group were camped at the right hand side of the Apple Store, a stark contrast to the iPhone fanantics on the other side waiting to cough up considerable amount of money for mobile phone.
Francis Lee, the organiser of the mock protest, told SH he was tired of consumerism and wanted to do something different to show the negative side of consumerism.
“What does desperation really look like? Show your support and join the mock queue,” the Giving up for Good banner read.
