Apple sees a successful first day of iPhone sales after four million pre-orders
iPhone 6 and 6 plus went on sale on Friday.
First iPhone 6 owner drops smartphone on the floor moments after the purchase
Charity raises £570 by auctioning a spot in the queue in London
Between 12 and 15 million smartphones sales expected over the weekend
The new iPhone 6 and 6 plus went on sale on Friday in several cities around the world, after the technology giant Apple unveiled the much anticipated smartphones earlier this month.
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Australia was the first country where the iPhone was available to purchase. At 8:00 local time, there were more than 1200 people waiting in line outside the Apple store.
The first person purchasing the gadget in Perth, Australia dropped it in the moment after steping out the store as he was “in a panic to get it open”. Luckily, he said the phone was “fine”.
In other countries around the world including Germany, France and the UK, the queues were also impressive.
On Thursday in London, the Depaul UK homelessness charity took the opportunity to auction a spot “near the front of the queue” at Apple’s headquarter in Regent Street. The winning bid was £570, the charity said.
People on Twitter have said the new gadget sold out on Friday in London.
For anyone thinking of queueing at Regent Street, the iPhone 6 Plus is completely sold out, as is the gold 16GB iPhone 6.
— Ry (@rysayswhat) September 19, 2014
The crazy line-up on Regent St in London for the new #iPhone 6! #london #Apple pic.twitter.com/3ByeuQCkXI
— Stephanie Ha (@stephanie_ha) September 19, 2014
Analysts expect between 12 and 15m smartphones to be sold around the world over the weekend.
The pre-orders kicked off on 12 September, with the technology giant saying it saw the “biggest advancements in iPhone history” with over four million sales in the first 24 hours.
The iPhone 6, unveiled on 9 September, includes a 4.7 inch screen while the iPhone 6 plus has a 5.5 inch screen.
The new smartphone has a faster long-term evolution (LTE) modem than the preceding iPhone5s, which will improve data roaming on 4G. The phone supports more than 200 LTE carriers around the world, including three in China.
It is equipped with a new motion processor for fitness and a barometer that senses air pressure. A new health app will allow users to monitor their well-being more closely.
Analysts believe that Apple’s decision to move towards bigger screens for iPhones, which generates more than 50% of the group´s total sales in any quarter, is a direct response to rivals such as Samsung and Sony, which have introduced bigger screens over the past couple of years.
The devices are available in 16GB, 64GB and 128GB configurations. The iPhone 6 has a starting cost of £539, reaching the maximum price of £699 for the 128GB model.
For instance, the iPhone 6 plus costs between £619 (16GB) and £789 (128GB). The 64GB model costs £699.
The new operating system iOS 8 is now available in the new iPhone 6 and 6 plus and includes the health and fitness HealthKit platform and the HomeKit, a framework for controlling connected accessories in a user's home. Apple said the software was one of its biggest releases since the App Store.
Apple shares were down 0.22% to 101.57p on Friday at 17:22 GMT.