Apples flagship store in downtown New York City is always the centre of attention on launch day, and the iPhone 5S launch is the biggest yet.
As of 8AM this morning there was a staggering, 1,417 people lined around the 5th Avenue shop, according to Gene Munster, an analyst at Piper Jaffray, who has surveyed Apple store lines every year since the original iPhone launched in 2007. The previous record being for the iPhone 4 launch and an 83% increase from the number of people in line for the iPhone 5 launch.
Munster attributes the longer lines in part to Apple’s decision not to offer the more expensive iPhone 5S for pre-order.
“The vast majority of iPhone buyers in line today appeared to be waiting for the 5S vs the 5C.”
Based on the size of the lines, Munster estimates Apple will sell 5 to 6 million iPhones during opening weekend, where other analysts have suggested Apple will sell any where from 6 to 18 million phones. According to a report Apple has asked suppliers to increase production on the gold iPhone 5S by one third in an attempt to meet the early demand.
Have you/would you ever wait in line for an iPhone? Let us know in the comments below!
Source: Piper Jaffray
