Large crowds of both Thais and international visitors gathered for hours, eager to be among the first to acquire Apple’s latest iPhone, which was released globally on Friday, September 20.
Shoppers queued outside the Apple Stores located in CentralWorld and ICONSIAM shopping centers, anxious to purchase the newest version of the smartphone.
At CentralWorld, a woman from Myanmar was the first to buy the phone, according to Thairath Online. Meanwhile, Manager Online reported that Vu Thi Ming Trang from Vietnam was the initial purchaser at Iconsiam.
The Apple website lists the iPhone 16 model with a 6.1-inch display starting at 29,900 baht, the iPhone 16 Plus with a 6.7-inch display at 34,900 baht, the iPhone 16 Pro with a 6.3-inch display at 39,900 baht, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max with a 6.9-inch display at 48,900 baht.
Thailand is among approximately 60 countries where the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus were launched.
In Singapore, excitement built outside the Apple Store on Orchard Road as the crowd counted down, bursting into cheers and applause when the first few customers entered the store promptly at 8 am on September 20 to secure the latest iPhone.
By 6:10 am, about 110 individuals were seen in line outside the store, and by 8:30 am, this number had risen to nearly 300. Upon opening, the store managed the flow by allowing customers in batches of about 20 to avoid overcrowding.
The iPhone 16 series is Apple’s first smartphone line designed with artificial intelligence (AI) features in mind. Pre-orders started on September 13, with availability beginning with the launch on September 20.
The iPhone 16 is also launching in other countries such as the United States, China, India, South Korea, and Singapore. Next Friday, Apple plans to release the devices in Vietnam and additional countries.
Apple faces the unique challenge of convincing customers to invest in the new iPhones even though they lack the major new feature advertised.
According to Bloomberg, the much-anticipated Apple Intelligence — an artificial intelligence (AI) software — will not be pre-installed. Instead, users will need to download the AI features progressively as they are released over the upcoming weeks and months.
