Fans have been queuing up outside Apple shops all week to be amongst the first few to take the new iPhones 5S and 5C home.
Take a trip to Covent Garden or Regent Street and you’ll see people of all kinds and ages with lots of layers, stocks of food and drink, sleeping bags and folding chairs.
Users have reportedly been offered up to £7,000 for places in queues, with some in the queue admitting to turning down offers of £5,000.
Apple, for these people, is not just a brand or corporation, but a religion led by Steve Jobs as God and the iPhone as the status symbol.
Like Christ’s apostles waiting days for the Holy Spirit to arrive, they’ve been queuing for days before dawn until sunset for the overpriced gadget. And just like religion brings about community, loyal Apple fans are said to know each other from previous years and launches.
It’s clear advertisers have hooked them on buying the much-hyped phone, a phone that isn’t all too different to the previous version and that you could have ordered and received at home if you were willing to wait a day.
However, some cracks are already showing that Apple may not always be able to sell these expensive phones on the back of its users’ faith.
A source recently told Reuters that demand for the plastic devices has been disappointing, meaning that Apple’s bubble with consumers could burst.
The iPhone 5S also hasn’t lived up to Wall Street’s expectations, with analysts saying that its fingerprint scanner is not enough to make it stand out in the smartphone market.
