The 2019 Apple iPhones launch creating smaller lines outside Apple Stores worldwide
Unless you've been completely shut off from the outside world, you probably know that the Apple iPhone 11, Apple iPhone 11 Pro and the Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max were released today. Now since most people pre-order the device online, the days of incredibly long lines wrapping around Apple Stores worldwide are over. But that doesn't mean that there were no lines at all. Images of lines forming outside Apple Stores in Singapore, Sydney, Berlin, and other cities were shared on Twitter. The Sydney Apple Store appeared to have a decent sized crowd with lines moving both inside and outside the store.
CNBC spotted a line at the Regent Street Apple Store in London where 40 die-hard iPhone fans were waiting for the doors to open. Once that occurred, the number of people in line actually increased. At the re-opened Apple Store on New York's Fifth Avenue, home to the iconic glass cube, those waiting in line received a nice surprise when they entered the store; waiting for them inside was Apple CEO Tim Cook who was at the location to celebrate the re-opening of the location after a two-year renovation.
Those waiting on line raved about the triple camera system on the iPhone 11 Pro models.
Apple made changes to upgrade the cameras on the 2019 models, extended battery life by one to five hours (depending on the model) and improved the handset's protection from water. The triple-camera setup on the back of the iPhone Pro models seemed to be the feature mentioned the most by those waiting on line. The 5.8-inch and 6.5-inch variants (both sporting OLED panels) feature a 12MP Wide primary camera, a 12MP Telephoto camera with 2x optical zoom, and the new 12MP Ultra-wide camera. The iPhone 11, with its 6.1-inch LCD screen, now carries on its back the 12MP Wide and 12MP Ultra-wide cameras. All three models will take viewable photos snapped under low-light environments thanks to the new Night Mode feature. And Deep Fusion uses the AI capabilities of the A13 Bionic chip to go through multiple exposures in order to stitch together the best photo possible.
Tim Cook greets the crowd outside the re-opened Fifth Avenue Apple Store in New York
Apple claims that the battery on the iPhone 11 runs one-hour longer than the one on the iPhone XR, while the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max batteries last four and five hours longer respectively than those on the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max. And the iPhone 11 can be submerged to a depth of 6 and half-feet for as long as thirty minutes, doubling the protection afforded to the iPhone XR. The iPhone 11 Pro models can both be submerged to a bit over 13-feet for up to half an hour, more than doubling the five feet that last year's AMOLED models could be safely kept underwater. All three units are also protected from spills which means that getting coffee or soda all over the devices is not a problem.
The iPhone 11 is offered with 64GB ($699), 128GB ($749) or 256GB ($849) of storage in White, Black, Green, Yellow, Purple and PRODUCT(RED). The iPhone 11 Pro can be purchased with 64GB ($999), 256GB ($1,149) or 512GB ($1,349) of storage in Space Gray, Silver, Midnight Green, and Gold. The iPhone 11 Pro Max also is available with 64GB ($1.099), 256GB ($1,249) or 512GB ($1,449) of storage in Space Gray, Silver, Midnight Green, and Gold.
Also released today is the Apple Watch Series 5 with watchOS 6 pre-installed. The hot new feature for the timepiece is the always-on display. The GPS model in aluminum starts at $399 while the same style for the GPS + Cellular variant starts at $499. Stainless steel models are priced at $699 and up, those with a titanium case are $799 and up and the Apple Watch Series 5 in ceramic will run you $1,299 and up.
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