Those long lines for the latest iPhone are poised to return with the release of the iPhone X next month.
Apple announced this morning that in addition to pre-orders, which begin Oct. 27, the tech giant will make the new phone available at Apple Stores for walk-in customers starting at 8 a.m. Nov. 3. MacRumors notes that supply is likely to be limited due to high demand and some production issues, and Apple said walk-ins “are encouraged to arrive early.”
Translation: get in line.
For years, Apple became famous for the giant lines of fans waiting for the newest iPhone. But some recent models, such as the iPhone 7 Plus as The Verge notes, sold out on pre-order and were not available for walk-in customers at its initial release.
The premium iPhone X marks the 10th anniversary of the revolutionary smartphone. It is priced at $999 and was announced last month at a big event at Apple’s new headquarters campus. In addition to the iPhone X, Apple also announced the iPhone 8, an update to the Apple Watch operating system and a 4K HDR version of the Apple TV streaming set-top box.
The iPhone X sports a 5.8-inch “Super Retina” display; an A11 Bionic chip with the capacity for powerful machine learning, augmented reality and 3D gaming; wireless charging; a pair of redesigned cameras and the ability to unlock the phone via facial recognition.
In the 10 years since Apple released the original iPhone, it has upended the smartphone industry with its iconic design and usability. The company continues to sell tens of millions of iPhones each quarter, but the growth has been tapering off in recent years. In the most recent quarter, iPhone sales were up 2 percent to 41 million units.
