iPhone 16 launches to cheers and applause at Orchard store

“Five, four, three, two, one!”

The crowd outside the Apple Store on Orchard Road counted down, erupting in cheers and applause as the first customers in queue entered the store in an orderly manner at 8am on Sept 20 to get their hands on the latest iPhone.

About 110 people were seen queueing outside the store at about 6.10am. By 8.30am, the queue had grown to nearly 300.

When the doors opened, customers were let into the store in batches of about 20 to prevent overcrowding.

The iPhone 16 line-up is the first Apple smartphone designed around AI features. Pre-orders for the iPhone 16 began on Sept 13, with the phones becoming available at launch only on Sept 20.

On the night of Sept 19, would-be customers who came to the Apple Store to queue were told by staff members to leave and return at 4am the next day.

One of those who were turned away only to return, was Mr Harold Lim, 22. He was the first person in line at the Apple Store on the morning of Sept 20, and told The Straits Times that this was his first time queueing for an iPhone.

“I came at around 10 plus last night actually, because I thought the queue would be crazy,” said Mr Lim.

“(Then) I went to a nearby coffeeshop at Shaw Theatres for a few hours... and made my way here at 3am, because I didn’t want to take public transport or a private hire vehicle back and forth.”

He then realised he was the first person there.

Although he is “not a huge fan” of the iPhone, Mr Lim had already preordered his phone to ensure he could secure a set. He said he had decided to take leave from work to queue anyway as he had never gotten the latest version of the phone, and wanted to “experience the queueing atmosphere”.

Ms Jasmine Puteri Jiro, a marketing manager, and Ms Nurfatimah, a finance analyst, flew in from Jakarta just to get their hands on two sets of the iPhone 16 Pro Max each, as the models are not available for sale in Indonesia yet. They started queueing from 4.30am.

It is not known when the iPhone 16 will be officially sold in Indonesia, but the iPhone 15 was released for sale in the country about a month after its international launch, according to CNBC Indonesia.

The duo, both 28, had saved up for almost a year for their iPhone 16s. They will be spending about S$10,000 during their three-day trip in Singapore.

As with previous launches, resellers were also ready to snap up the coveted iPhones.

Checks on e-commerce platform Carousell at about 8.20am show hundreds of listings for the sale of various iPhone 16 models, with more than 70 listed past midnight on Sept 20.

Student Tony Lee said he began queueing at the Apple Store at about 7.45am. The 22-year-old had pre-ordered three sets of the iPhone Pro Max - but only one was meant for himself.

When asked if the extra sets were for resale at a higher price, the Vietnamese student said: “Of course! I’m selling it at a profit of a few hundred dollars for people in Vietnam since it’s not available there yet.”

Four men who had flown in from overseas had bought eight sets of the iPhone Pro Max. Speaking on condition of anonymity, one of the told ST that they resell such products as a job.

“We spent a total of $30,000 and are planning to resell in Dubai, where we usually do. We will definitely sell it at a profit,” said the 40-year-old, declining to reveal how much the phones would be resold at.

The new iPhone 16s were also launched on Sept 20 across the United Arab Emirates - however, according to Dubai newspaper Khaleej Times, walk-in purchases of the phones will not be entertained at Apple Stores on launch day, unlike previous iterations. Only those who had reserved their phones online would be permitted entry at their allotted time slots.

In response to queries from ST, local telcos - which had also seen queues outside their stores for the 2023 launch of the previous iPhone iteration - did not disclose how many pre-orders had been made, or how much stock was available.

However, a StarHub spokesperson said that demand for the iPhone 16 sold in tandem with its new mobile plans was “exceptional”. Its shops in Plaza Singapura, NEX, Tampines Mall, Jurong Point, and Causeway Point will extend their opening hours, opening at 8am on Sept 20. The shops will close at 10pm from Sept 20 to 22, an hour later than their usual closing time.

StarHub will limit customers to two iPhone 16 devices each, enforced at the point of sale.

Those who wish to purchase iPhones from Singtel, StarHub and M1 in person at their brick-and-mortar stores will be able to get queue numbers via electronic queue systems, and will be notified to return to make their purchases when their turn comes.

Additionally, Ms Anna Yip, deputy chief executive and CEO for business development at Singtel Singapore told ST that the telco has a “carefully managed stock allocation system” which factors in stocks for walk-in customers.

Apple Intelligence, the company’s AI software, will be used to improve Siri as well as enhancing features such as understanding and identifying objects captured by the phone camera, executives said earlier in September.

The iPhone 16 retails at S$1,299 for the 128gb model, S$1,449 for the 256gb model and S$1,749 for the 512gb model.

The iPhone 16 plus, which features a larger screen and a larger battery capacity, will be priced at S$100 more per model.

The higher-end 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max iPhones, which possess more souped-up hardware, will also have a 1tb storage model.

The Pro starts at S$1,599 for the 128gb model, S$1,749 for the 256gb model, S$2,049 for the 512gb model and S$2,349 for the 1TB model.

The Pro Max goes for S$1,899 for the 256gb model, S$2,199 for the 512gb model, and S$2,499 for the 1tb model.

• Additional reporting by Brian Teo