Sept. 22 (UPI) — Apple’s newest iPhone XS went on sale worldwide Friday as eager shoppers lined up at stores to get their hands on the industry leader’s latest smartphone.
Several hundred people lined up at the Singapore store when it opened, and some waited overnight in Dubai.
Apple fans also turned out in London for the event Friday, but traffic there was lighter compared to last year’s rollout of the iPhone X. This year, the new phones are in plentiful supply in Britain, which was not the case in 2017.
Apple dominates the global cellphone market, generating 62 percent of the sector’s profits in the second quarter, analysts Counterpoint Research said on Wednesday. It added that Apple is expected to sell 190 million of its new phones in the next 12 months, including the lower-priced XR model scheduled for release in October.
Apple’s nearest competitor, Samsung, has 17 percent of the market.
In the United States, some online buyers who pre-ordered the new phones may see them arrive on Monday instead of on Friday, as planned. UPS tracking information given to some customers indicated the phones, shipped from China, are behind schedule.
Other customers said they were told by UPS the Monday delivery date was given in error and that the phones will arrive on Friday.
The first customers in Australia, New Zealand and Asia began receiving shipments Friday.
The iPhone XS costs $999. The XS Max, with a larger screen, goes for $1,099, or $1,499 with additional storage capability. The XR model will retail for $749.
