iPhone X goes on sale, bringing out the true Apple superfans – CNET

Production problems? Forget it.

The iPhone 8? A distant memory.

Throwing down more than a grand for the latest and greatest iPhone? That’s what they’re here for.

The iPhone X went on sale around the world on Friday, drawing crowds and long lines as Apple fans patiently waited to get their hands on the very best iPhone money can buy.

And spend money they did. The iPhone X (that’s pronounced “ten” not “ex”) just scrapes in under 1K in the US and UK, with a starting price of $999 and £999, respectively.

But in Australia, one of the first countries in the world to start selling the device, that price goes up to AU$1,579. And if you want the larger 256GB capacity, you’ll spend a whopping AU$1,879. (That’s $1,149 or £1,149 in the US and UK.)

This second launch, which comes more than a month after the launch of the iPhone 8, is the latest wrinkle in the annual gathering of Apple fanboys, gadget enthusiasts and publicity seekers. Apple’s decision to stagger the launches presented consumers with the dilemma of buying the more readily available iPhone 8 immediately, or holding out for the supposedly supply-constrained iPhone X.

To the people who showed up today, there was no question which iPhone won out.

They turned out in droves, despite (or maybe because of) early murmurings of production delays and reports that Apple might ship only half the number of devices it originally planned.

For many, it’s the only way to get the device on launch day, with pre-orders for the Nov. 3 shipping date selling out in as little as 10 minutes. Now, customers are facing delays of up to six weeks to get the true flagship Apple phone.

Sydney

Apple’s flagship Australian store in Sydney was the first in the world to sell the new iPhone, and early birds were queuing since the start of the week to be able to buy it off the shelf. 

First through the doors were Sydneysiders Bishoy Behman, who’d been queuing for a week to buy the iPhone and who livestreamed the event on his iPhone 8 Plus, and Mazen Kourouche, who queued from Friday morning after preordering “literally the minute” orders opened last week.

So why buy the iPhone X when you have a weeks-old device in your hand?

“It’s the new iPhone. It’s a new generation,” said Behman, who bought one 256GB iPhone X for himself and one to sell. “I’m excited for this. The 8, not so much.”

A software engineering student and part-time tech blogger, Kourouche did an unboxing for me in the store.

“The notch doesn’t seem to be intruding,” he says, referring to the black section at the top of the screen. “I’m going to have to get used to no home button.”

Next to him, 19-year-old Chinese studies student Jesse Goodwin plays with the Face ID he’s just set up, but he has some doubts.

“When I’m in China, I wear a face mask so I won’t be able to unlock the phone.” 

Japan

Japan was hyped about the iPhone X as well, as lines at the Apple Store in Shibuya district in Tokyo stretched to at least two streets away. Apple has a considerable fanbase in Japan, so it was no surprise to find that there was huge interest in the new phone.

China 

Over in Beijing, queue lines at the Apple Store in Sanlitun weren’t as crazy long as they were in Japan. With five different outlets in China’s capital city, Apple iPhone X buyers were more spread out. Still there was plenty of enthusiasm for the new phone from those in line.

Serial Apple queuer Lloyd Yu, 31, who works at a startup, was first in line since 5 a.m., and got two 256GB iPhone Xs in Space Grey. He already owns an iPhone 8 Plus and wanted to upgrade because he’s a big fan of Apple.

“Everything Apple does, I accept, because everything Apple designs, is the best,” said Yu, adding that he’s also looking to try out Face ID.

Yu, who’s apparently a familiar face to Apple employees, was seen hugging and chatting with staff. By the time he left the store, surprisingly, the queue lines seemed to have grown larger compared to earlier in the morning, a response that’s considerably better than Apple’s iPhone 8 lacklustre launch.

Singapore

Rain didn’t dampen the spirits of Apple fans in Singapore, who queued to buy the iPhone X from the sole Apple store in South East Asia. 

Queues started early, with 52 year-old Singaporean homemaker Ala Ahmed telling CNET she’d been waiting since 6.30 a.m. Thursday to get four iPhones for her son and his friends who were away serving their national service. 

But others came from much further afield. Kittiwat Wang and Supakorn Rieksiri, two 22-year-old students from Bangkok, Thailand, preordered their iPhones online and flew to Singapore to pick them up. The two friends said devices get to Singapore much earlier than Thailand, making it worth the short flight.

Further down the queue, student Christine Nguyen, also 22, came from Vietnam with four friends for launch day, saying she’d waited for the iPhone X because the iPhone 8 hadn’t seemed too different from earlier models.

London

First to get their hands on an iPhone X in the UK was son of celebrity chef Marco Pierre White, Marco Pierre White Junior. The 22-year-old handed over his payment in cash, flashing £50 notes at waiting photographers and grinning as he picked up two 256GB iPhone Xs, one black, one white.

The celebrity offspring, who is also a model, said he had been waiting two days in the cold. He claimed to also already have an iPhone X, given to him early by a friend who worked at Carphone Warehouse, supposedly bringing his total up to three.

And what is he going to do with all those iPhones? “I don’t know, man,” he said, adding that he hadn’t really given it much thought. “I’m going home to sleep.”

Pierre White live-streamed his Apple Store experience on his Samsung phone. “I’m glad to be back with Apple,” he said.

Queues outside the store were longer than they have been in recent years. Without about 250 people in line, there were significantly more takers for the X than there were for the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus in September, when only about 20 people bothered to show up to the capital’s Regent Street store for opening time.

The most talked-about feature by far in the queue was the huge display, which even with the “notch” in the top had many admirers.

“It’s the screen that I really got it for,” said Troy Kennedy, 28, from London as he picked up his 256GB iPhone X in slate grey. He’d initially bought an iPhone 8, but returned it when he decided he wanted the X.

“It’s been a really long time waiting for Apple to release a really bad-ass product,” he said.

First published Nov. 2 at 3:38 p.m. PT.

Update, 7:07 p.m. PT: Adds material from Japan and China.

Update, 9:51 p.m. PT: Adds material from Singapore.  

Update, Nov. 3, 2:35 a.m. PT: Adds material from London

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