iPhone Xs, iPhone Xs Max and Apple Watch Series 4 arrive in stores

“Apple’s iPhone XS and XS Max went on sale on Friday with the traditionally long queues outside stores missing in some flagship locations,” Arjun Kharpal reports for CNBC. “Outside Apple’s flagship London store on Regent Street, about 25 people queued up as of around 6 a.m. local time. Some people were queuing up from 7.30 p.m. London time on Thursday.”

“Outside the Orchard Road Apple store in Singapore the story was very different,” Kharpal reports. “Photos posted on social media show several hundred people waiting for the new devices.”

Scenes outside Apple Store in Orchard Road ahead of the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR launch tomorrow morning. Movement is orderly and security briefing those in line on the do’s and don’ts. We’re looking at a long long wait for those in the queue. pic.twitter.com/my07JLrStB

— Matthew Mohan (@MatthewMohanCNA) September 20, 2018

“Despite the lack of people turning up to buy the latest iPhones in London, reception to the devices have been strong. Most customers CNBC spoke to in London were ready to purchase the iPhone XS Max which starts at £1,099 in the U.K. and $1,099 in the U.S.,” Kharpal reports. “Many people in the queue said the price was not a concern because of the importance of the smartphone in today’s world.”

The Queue at the Apple Store Dubai Mall. People have been lining up since yesterday night to get their hands on the #iPhoneXs #Dubai #UAE @TheDubaiMall pic.twitter.com/RHtScUaMxh

— Absolute Geeks (@AbsoluteGeeks) September 21, 2018

“The short queues in London could be attributed to a number of factors. Last year, the iPhone X was in short supply, so people wanted to get their hands on the device as soon as it was released in store,” Kharpal reports. “This year however, the iPhone XS and XS Max are not suffering delays. Also, the iPhone XR – the cheaper iPhone – won’t be on sale until October, so customers wanting that device may have decided to skip the early morning queues.”

Read more in the full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: You have not been able to use lines outside physical stores to measure iPhone demand for years. Stop trying to do so.