Crowd Lines Up In Boston As iPhone 5S Goes On Sale
BOSTON (CBS)- Six years after it first debuted - new versions of the Apple iPhone prove the brand can still draw a crowd.
Hundreds lined up at the flagship store on Boylston Street Friday morning for the iPhone 5S and 5C model releases.
The 5S is sold in silver, gold or gray; it costs $199 with a two-year service contract, or $649 without a contract. The 5C model is sold in green, blue, yellow, pink or white; its price starts at $99 with a two-year service contract, or $549 without a contract.
A large portion of the crowd began camping out at least a day before the store opened at 8 a.m. Friday.
"I actually walked over to Walgreens and bought a pillow because I really needed to sleep and the ground wasn't very comfortable," said college student Jameson Falk.
The first three people in line arrived on Tuesday and were rewarded for their patience with a sponsor in tech company Gazelle.
The trio is visiting the United States from Switzerland and said the wait in line was motivated more by the chance to experience American culture than getting a new phone.
"When I came in, it was awesome! All the people clapped their hands and gave high-fives," said David Cuber, whose name was triumphantly chanted by Apple employees when the doors opened.
His iPhone 5S is loaded with the newest iOS software, a faster processor, a better flash and front-facing camera, plus a futuristic feeling security system. The 5S allows owners to unlock their phone quicker by using a fingerprint instead of a passcode.
"Time is money so everything that's faster is better!" said Benjamin Aebischer.
Aebisher nabbed the highly sought after gold version of the iPhone 5S. The Boylston Street store was out of the cards needed to reserve a gold phone before the doors even opened. Online sales of the color are backordered into next month.
"I was a little bit [disappointed] but I want to leave here with a 5S so I'm going to get one no matter what," said Kevin Dusenberry who waited more than 12 hours for his silver 5S.
The more expensive 5S model was far more popular than the cheaper 5C. Reviews of both products say the 5C is pretty much the same phone released last fall as the iPhone 5, but with new colorful covers.
"For the money it's a much better value. It's a much sleeker phone," said Ryan Casey. "If I'm going to wait here for 13 hours, I'm going to get the best one I can get."
Regardless of the chosen model- Apple fans came away feeling like winners.
"It's a good time, more for the experience than anything else," said Austin Bakos. "A phone is a phone but the experience is fun for a college student."
