Apple Inc’s (AAPL. O) launch of the iPhone 8 kicked off with less fanfare on Friday than new models in previous years in the United States, Asia, Australia and Britain, as fans held out for the premium iPhone X, due out in early November.<\/b>
\nSAN FRANCISCO\/SYDNEY\/TOKYO (Reuters) – Apple Inc\u2019s ( AAPL. O) launch of the iPhone 8 kicked off with less fanfare on Friday than new models in previous years in the United States, Asia, Australia and Britain, as fans held out for the premium iPhone X, due out in early November.
In San Francisco\u2019s Union Square, 50 miles from Apple\u2019s Cupertino headquarters, just 80 people were lined up at the company\u2019s flagship store, a sharp contrast to years past when lines stretched for blocks when new products were released.
In Australia, hundreds of people usually gather at Apple\u2019s Sydney city store, with queues winding down George Street in the central business district. But there were fewer than 30 people lining up before the store opened on Friday, according to a Reuters witness.
Apple\u2019s flagship store in London\u2019s Regent Street also experienced a slim turnout, according to several British newspapers.
Shares of the company were down 1.3 percent to $151.39 in afternoon trading. The stock has lost 6.3 percent since closing at $161.50 on Sept. 11, a day before its new products were announced.
While the number of people queuing up outside Apple stores has dropped over the past several years with many buyers choosing to shop online, the weak turnout for the latest iPhone has partly been due to poor reviews.
Mazen Kourouche, who was first in line in Sydney after lining up 11 days outside the store so he could buy and review the product on YouTube, said there were modest refinements.
\u201c(It) is pretty similar to the iPhone 7 but it shoots 4k 60 frames per second and it\u2019s got a new glass back instead of the metal which is apparently more durable,\u201d he told Reuters. \u201cThere aren\u2019t too many new features to this one.\u201d
In China, a loyal Apple customer said the improved camera was one of the reasons she had bought the new device.
\u201cI waited until midnight to watch the launch event with my boyfriend to learn what\u2019s new with this iPhone. Its photograph function is pretty good. So I think I must change with no hesitation,\u201d said Ta Na, a 29-year-old consumer in Shanghai.
Mentions of iPhone 8 and iPhone X on the popular Chinese social media platform Weibo, an indicator of consumer interest, were less than seen for previous launches.
In San Francisco, customers waiting in line were evenly split between those interested in the iPhone 8 and those looking to buy the Apple Watch Series 3. The latest watch includes standalone cellular data connectivity for the first time, meaning it can be used to make phone calls without an iPhone nearby.
Chayce O\u2018Neal, 27, said he had come to buy the new watch and wasn\u2019t discouraged by reviews that mentioned connectivity problems. But he was skipping the iPhone 8 and holding out for the iPhone X.
\u201cI like being on top of the cutting edge of technology,\u201d he said.
Indifferent reviews of the iPhone 8, which comes 10 years after Apple released the first version of the revolutionary phone, drove down shares of the company to near two-month lows of $152.75 on Thursday, as investors worried pre-orders for the device had come in well below previous launches.
The iPhone 8 will only cater to those who want a new version but do not want to pay a hefty $999 for the iPhone X, said iTWire.com\u2019s technology editor Alex Zaharov-Reutt, who did not line up for the launch.
That was the case for Damien Roberts, a customer in line at Apple\u2019s San Francisco store. Roberts owns a battered iPhone 6s and wanted an upgrade to the iPhone 8 Plus for phone calls, messages and playing his favorite video game \u201cClash of Clans.\u201d He said he didn\u2019t need the extra features of the $999 iPhone X.
\u201cIt\u2019s a lot of money to shell out for a phone,\u201d said Roberts, a Briton who was purchasing the phone while on vacation.
Speaking to CNBC, Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook said the Apple Watch with cellular data service is \u201csold out in so many places around the world\u201d and iPhone 8 models were also sold out. He did not specify the locations he was referring to.
The iPhone X is a glass and stainless steel device with an edge-to-edge display that Cook has called \u201cthe biggest leap forward since the original iPhone\u201d.
\u201cI think it\u2019ll be more lively with more people with the iPhone X,\u201d said Ray Yokoyama, after buying an iPhone 8 in Tokyo.<\/p>\n

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