Thousands queue for the iPhone 6 at Bondi Junction The first batch of new iPhones in the world went on sale in Australia on Friday, but one of the first punters to get his hands on the phone managed to drop it as soon as he left the store. Jack was the first to buy the iPhone 6 at the Perth Apple store on Friday morning but as he excitedly showed off his new purchase to a reporter outside, it spilled out and fell to the ground. The crowd of people waiting in line groaned as he bent down to pick it up - crack free - and carefully placed it back in the box. Apple mania extended right across the country and the number of people queued outside Apple's flagship Sydney store passed 1,200 when the doors opened at 8.01am. Californian David Rahmimi was the first to walk out clutching an iPhone 6 in one hand and an iPhone 6 Plus in the other. He had travelled from the United States to Sydney just so he could be among the first in the world to own the new devices. 'I'm excited,' he said. 'It's finally a bigger screen from Apple.' Due to timezone differences, Australians were among the first in the world to get the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Die-hard Apple fans had camped out for days and queued for blocks just to get first pick of the new devices when they went on sale. The queue at Sydney's flagship Apple store stretched for several blocks throughout the city and was nearly half a kilometre long well before the shop even opened. 'It's exciting, like a festival,' said one queuer, Jin Sik Kim, who had been there for about 22 hours. Apple says it received four million pre-orders in the first day, up from the previous high of two million for the iPhone 5 two years ago. Hundreds of fans also camped out at shopping centres around Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide before the phone went on sale. It comes as a fan at a north Sydney store clashed with police after complaining about queue jumpers. Mobile phone retailers across the country were trying to draw customers in with live music and free coffee ahead of the release. Telstra, Vodafone, Optus and Virgin Mobile allocated extra stock to their CBD stores. Those queueing at Telstra CBD stores in George Street, Sydney; Bourke Street, Melbourne; Queen Street, Brisbane; and Rundle Mall, Adelaide were being promised prizes, coffee, a DJ and comfy beanbags, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. Telstra even roped in Australia's Got Talent winners Justice Crew and the X Factor's Dami Im and Jai Waetford to perform for waiting customers in Sydney, Melbourne and Sydney. Vodafone was offering free coffee to customers and Virgin Mobile promised goodie bags. Prices for the iPhone 6 start from $869, compared with $649 in the US. The iPhone 6 Plus will retail from $999 in Australia and $749 abroad.

• published: 19 Sep 2014
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