Over a hundred customers queued inside Apple’s flagship store in the Chinese financial hub of Shanghai on Friday, waiting to pick up their iPhone 15 orders on the first day of in-store availability.
How Apple’s latest iPhone sells in China is under close scrutiny by fans and market watchers alike, after the widening curb on iPhone use by government staff and the release of a rival from domestic manufacturer Huawei sparked concern about demand for the device in its third-largest market.
But the strength of pre-orders in the world’s second-largest economy, which began last Friday, has eased worries, with delivery times pushed into November and the premium iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max selling out in just one minute on Alibaba’s Tmall e-commerce site.
Local media reported the queue at the store on Shanghai’s East Nanjing Road shopping belt started forming at 5 a.m. (10:00 GMT).
The iPhone 15 includes a new titanium shell, a faster chip and improved videogame-playing abilities. Apple also surprised users by not raising prices, reflecting the global smartphone slump.
However, some customers at the store lamented the lack of significant upgrades from the previous model.