Hello all you Apple fanatics out there and welcome to Apple Magazine’s coverage of the official iPhone 5 Retail Release. We have reconnaissance coming in from the corners of the globe today, with “field operatives” stationed at queues in New York City, Montreal, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. And we’re prepped to offer you all something that you may not see from other big name sites. So sit back and relax as we present to you the “personal user experience,” with a variety of photos, videos, and customer interviews from the edges of the world.
This specific page is dedicated to all of the on-goings at the SouthGate Apple Store, located in Bath. We will be updating this page periodically throughout the day with interesting media, so make sure to stay tuned!
(6:56 AM GMT+1) – This photo was taken from within the Queue outside the Apple SouthGate Store. According to our friend Robert, an Apple employee let everyone in this specific queue (including our rep) know that they were guaranteed to receive a new iPhone 5.
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(7:19 AM GMT+1) – Glazed donuts for a famished crowd!
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(7:26 AM GMT+1) – Robert let us know that Apple is now handing out special cards which are used to “secure purchase” of an iPhone 5 once customers make it through the line to the sales counter. There are two separate lines here, one for “non-sim” phones and another for contract based handsets. Although there is literally no one standing in the contract based queue. He also managed to lay eyes on the Genius Bar, which appears to have row after row of iPhone 5’s on it. There is definitely no danger of this store running out of product.
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(7:40 AM GMT+1) – This dedicated consumer looks worn out, but who can blame them? They’ve probably been there all-night, by the look of their rather comfortable set-up.
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(7:47 AM GMT+1) – It’s less than 15 minutes from the store opening and the queue has exploded with people! Everyone is lining up in hopes of getting their hands on Apple’s next big device.
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(7:51 AM GMT+1) – It looks like there may be some people interested in a contracted iPhone 5 after all! The contract queue appears to have at least one person in it.
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(8:00 AM GMT+1) – Here is a live video shot of the first person being let through the doors to purchase their iPhone 5!
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(8:15 AM GMT+1) – Our friend Robert Fluellen (right) and his co-worker Stefan Kruger (left) waiting patiently for their shiny new work phones!
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(8:22 AM GMT+1) – Some Apple employees working on stock allocation to ensure that everyone there gets a product.
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(8:38 AM GMT+1) – Robert got his hands on his allocation! That little ticket guarantees him a new iPhone 5!
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(8:42 AM GMT+1) – Not long after, Robert’s co-worker Stefan received his allocation! I bet those are two huge sighs of relief.
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