Hundreds Wait In Line For New iPhone 4S At Apple's Fifth Avenue Store
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A faster iPhone with better software and an improved camera went on sale Friday as hundreds of buyers camped out for hours to be among the first to get one.
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About 200 people were at Apple's Fifth Avenue store in Manhattan as the iPhone 4S went on sale at 8 a.m.
The Fifth Avenue store is usually open 24/7 , but it closed at midnight to prepare for the iPhone sale.
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Many believe 4s stands for "4 Steve" in honor of Steve Jobs, who died last week. Others said the phone's release resembled a remembrance to Apple's co-founder.
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It is also the last iPhone to be unveiled during Jobs' life. He passed away just one day after CEO Tim Cook announced the new iPhone to the world.
Emily Smith, a 27-year-old user experience designer in New York, checked in to the line on the location-centric social network Foursquare. She got a virtual Steve Jobs badge that read: "Here's to the crazy ones. ThankYouSteve.''
A makeshift tribute had popped up in front of the Fifth Avenue store last week to honor Jobs. People left flowers, candles, notes and even McIntosh apples.
Orders for the iPhone 4S started last Friday. Apple said Monday that more than 1 million orders came in, breaking the record set by last year's model, which was available in fewer countries and on fewer carriers.
The death of Jobs could be affecting sales. Marketing experts say products designed by widely admired figures such as Jobs usually see an upsurge in sales after their death.
The release of Apple's newest phone comes on the heals of three-day BlackBerry outage.
Millions of customers had their Internet services and email functionality interrupted.
A crucial link in BlackBerry's European network failed Monday, and a backup also failed. Although the underlying issues were quickly repaired, the system had built up a backlog of emails and messages that needed to be wound down.
On Wednesday, the glitch that started abroad hit the Tri-State Area.
Una Chen, a 24-year-old banker, said she was swapping out her BlackBerry Bold for the new iPhone.
"It's not good to have a phone and not be able to use it,'' Chen said.
The base model of the iPhone 4S costs $199 in the U.S. with a two-year contract. Customers have a choice of white or black.
The phones also debuted Friday in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan and Britain. They are coming to 22 more countries by the end of the month.
The phone, Apple's fifth, has a faster processor and an improved camera compared with last year's model. However, some customers and investors were disappointed that Apple didn't launch a more radical new model. It's been more than a year since Apple's previous model was released.
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(TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
