New iphone doesn’t dial up long queues of eager buyers

Stores still busy with customers but not in same number as previous launches

Modest queues greeted the latest versions of the iphone as the smartphones went on sale in the UK.

A handful of diehard fans gathered yesterday to be among the first to get the iphone 8 and 8 Plus, which were unveiled earlier this month.

Long queues of ardent fans are a staple of new iphone launches but some experts have suggested the upcoming launch of the special edition iphone X in November may have tempted some Apple users to wait to upgrade.

As well as the upcoming model, Apple said the pre-order and collection options, where customers choose a time that suits them to come in and collect the new phone, meant fewer people now chose to queue.

The models went on sale around the world, starting in Australia, where hundreds of people usually gathered outside Apple’s Sydney city store.

However, there were fewer than 30 people lining up before the store opened yesterday.

A similar level of interest was seen across Asia and in Europe while only two teenagers gathered outside Buchanan Street’s Apple store in Glasgow.

The iphone 8 and 8 Plus are the first smartphones from Apple to support wireless battery charging, as well as improved camera and screen specifications.

The two phones also house Apple’s new A11 Bionic processor chip, which the tech giant says is the “most powerful and smartest” ever in a smartphone and makes it 70% faster than the previous iphone.

Apple experts Stormfront, in Dundee’s Overgate, experienced a busier day than usual and things could get busier this weekend. Manager Craig Coleman said: “New iphone launches always generate a lot of interest – particularly because there is a lot of publicity around it.

“It’s been popular so far and we’ve experienced a busier day than usual. There’s been a lot of interest in the device. We expect Saturday will be busy because a lot of people will have been at work or school today.”

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We expect Saturday will be busy

A new iphone 8 on display in Stormfront, in the Overgate Centre in Dundee. Picture: Dougie Nicolson.