Singapore still hungry for iPhone, but buzz lacking

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  • iphone5-singapore-jpg.jpg

    SINGAPORE--Apple's iPhone 5 went on sale here from 8 a.m. Friday, at selected outlets at all three mobile operators and some Apple resellers.

    However, fans of the devices started queuing up to 12 hours before the official launch, such as at Apple reseller EpiCentre's outlet in the main shopping belt at Orchard Road.

    Caption by: Liau Yun Qing

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    Just around 8 a.m., the queue at EpiCentre snaked across three shopfronts in double rows, with most customers being students and teenagers.

    Caption by: Liau Yun Qing

  • iphone5-singapore-001-jpg.jpg

    Customers entered in batches to collect their iPhone 5 at EpiCentre's 313@Somerset branch, amid an atmosphere that somewhat lacked buzz.

    The reseller said stocks were sold out across its chain within two hours.

    Caption by: Liau Yun Qing

  • iphone5-singapore-004-jpg.jpg

    At its Orchard Road Paragon branch, mobile operator M1 split its queue into different sections. Customers were given orange bags to put their new iPhone 5.

    There was also a lion dance at 8 a.m. to celebrate the launch of the new Apple device.

    Caption by: Liau Yun Qing

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    All telcos, such as StarHub, allowed customers to pre-order and book appointment slots to collect the iPhone 5 so the queue was subdued.

    Caption by: Liau Yun Qing

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    Although Apple reseller iStudio only opened its doors at 11 a.m., some customers were already queuing outside at 8 a.m.

    Caption by: Liau Yun Qing

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    On the right is the iPhone 5 which is narrower, longer and lighter than its iPhone 4 sibling.

    Caption by: Liau Yun Qing

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While there was no midnight launch this time for the Apple iPhone 5 as with previous handsets, some customers still queued up half a day before the device was made available at 8 a.m.

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SINGAPORE--Apple's iPhone 5 went on sale here from 8 a.m. Friday, at selected outlets at all three mobile operators and some Apple resellers.

However, fans of the devices started queuing up to 12 hours before the official launch, such as at Apple reseller EpiCentre's outlet in the main shopping belt at Orchard Road.

Caption by: Liau Yun Qing

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