SINGAPORE: Hundreds were seen queuing outside the Apple store along Orchard Road on Thursday (Nov 2), a day before the launch of the iPhone X in Singapore.
Staff members were seen asking those in the queue to take “one step back”.
“You need breathing space! This will take a while. There is no point in pushing,” staff members were heard saying.
They also directed those in the queue to form a single line, instead of forming a large crowd outside the store.
Undergraduate Kennneth Cheng, 20, who has been queuing since 4pm, told Channel NewsAsia he came prepared to camp overnight, with bread, water and a power bank for his phone. “It’s quite expensive, but this is the 10-year anniversary of the iPhone after all,” he said.
Eighteen-year-old Vietnamese national Phong, said he packed instant noodles in case he gets hungry overnight, as well as his school uniform as he has school at noon the next day.
“I want to sell it for income,” he said of the iPhone X, adding that it was “different”. “Everybody wants it,” he added.
“It’s my first time reselling. I plan to sell it on Facebook, maybe to other Vietnamese,” said the SHRM College student.
“I will even sell my slot if someone offers me, depending on the money.”
As of 7pm, hundreds of people who had been queuing since Thursday afternoon had settled in and were sitting in line, occasionally shouting to their friends as they tried to chat above the din of hundreds of birds in nearby trees.
Settling down for the evening: Crowds queuing outside of the Apple Store at Orchard Road ahead of the launch of the iPhone X.
The iPhone X, which is Apple’s 10th anniversary phone, retails from S$1,648 for the entry-level 64GB model.
Telcos earlier told Channel NewsAsia that interest in the device is “very good”.
