Skip to main content

iPhone 5S goes on sale, consumers around the world already caressing new device

Check out our review of the Apple iPhone 5S smartphone.

It’s Friday, September 20, which for die-hard Apple fans means only one thing – the launch of the latest iPhone (that’s the 5S, in case you hadn’t realized).

Recommended Videos

As US-based fanboys slept soundly in their beds dreaming of Touch ID technology and slow-motion video shoots, the Earth’s rotation and interaction with that big orange thing in the sky meant consumers in countries such as Japan, China and Australia were already bundling into Apple stores, high-fiving staff and whooping with iPhone-inspired joy in gleeful anticipation of finally getting their hands on the Cupertino company’s newest smartphone.

There are certainly some serious Apple devotees knocking around, with one guy in Japan setting up camp outside Apple’s flagship store in Tokyo’s upscale Ginza district 10 days ago, arriving to take his place on the very same day the tech giant introduced the revamped device. 

The video below, shot when the store opened this morning, shows quite a few TV cameras present as the waiting crowd surges noisily into the store in search of the new handset.

While around 800 reportedly lined up outside the Ginza store (with some apparently dressed as Batman or wearing Steve Jobs face masks), as many as 2,000 were said to be waiting outside the Apple store in Munich, Germany.

A total of 11 countries are involved in today’s rollout.

The tech giant for the first time launched the handset in China on the same day as other major markets, an indication of the country’s growing importance in Apple’s growth plans. The line outside the company’s flagship store in Beijing was short, however, as customers were given a specific time slot to collect their device. The more orderly system was introduced following trouble at previous launches.

Apple’s decision not to put the 5S up for pre-order as it has done with previous launches of its handset could result in longer than usual lines outside some Apple stores yet to open.

And those waiting may be feeling a little antsy as recent reports suggest the new phone might initially be in short supply. As long as it doesn’t result in any egg throwing or mass brawls, anyone passing within 50 meters of an Apple store today should be just fine.

If you’ve managed to pick up one of Apple’s new handsets from a store today, let us know your experience in the comments below.

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
Apple’s foldable iPhone might serve a price shock
Conceptual foldable iPhone running Notes app.

Apple’s foldable iPhone project has so far remained in the realms of consumer tech imaginations. However, from time to time, we hear industry insiders and analysts dropping a few nuggets of information about it. The latest such prediction comes from Ming-Chi Kuo, and it’s not a good one.

In his latest investor note, Kuo has given an expected price range of roughly $2,000 to $2,500 for Apple’s book style folding phone. For comparison, Samsung’s latest and greatest foldable phone, the Galaxy Z Fold 6, carries a price tag worth $1,900.

Read more
World’s thinnest phone is here, but it’s not the iPhone 17 Air or Galaxy S25 Edge
Side profile of Tecno Spark Slim.

The year 2025 could very well mark the arrival of super slim phones. Samsung has already given us a glimpse of the Galaxy S25 Edge, and could launch it as soon as April. Apple, on the other hand, is heavily anticipated to launch an iPhone 17 Air model later this year.

It seems a relatively unknown brand will beat them to the game.

Read more
Early tests confirm Apple’s new chip significantly boosts iPhone 16e battery life
A press image of the iPhone 16e.

The iPhone 16e will launch officially tomorrow, February 27. Today, the results from the first tests of Apple’s all-new C1 modem for this budget phone have been released, and the news is promising.

Chinese review site Geekerwan conducted various 5G tests on the iPhone 16e’s C1 modem, which is noteworthy because it is Apple’s first modem for the iPhone. The tests revealed that the iPhone 16e’s speeds and reliability matched those of the iPhone 16, which is equipped with a Qualcomm modem. Perhaps even more impressively, Geekerwan found that the C1 modem consumed much less power than its competitor.

Read more