The new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus hit stores on Friday, with dozens of people – and a robot – queueing in Sydney to kick off a global sales cycle that will be scrutinized for signs of how much juice Apple Inc’s marquee product has left.
Analysts expect 12 million to 13 million phones to fly off the shelves in the first weekend, up from more than 10 million last year when the hugely successful iPhone 6’s launch was delayed in China, the world’s biggest smartphone market.
Eager consumers from San Francisco to London to Sydney have camped out for days prior to the release, and Apple said earlier this month that based on pre-orders, sales of its new phones were on pace to beat last year’s first weekend performance.
Among the first to pick up the new iPhone 6s in a cold, rainy Sydney was a telepresence robot named Lucy, operated by marketing executive Lucy Kelly.
The iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, which start at $199 and $299 with a two-year contract with a mobile service provider, go on sale on Friday in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States.