iPhone frenzy, take 5
IPSWICH'S technology lovers were not forgotten in the much-anticipated launch of the latest and greatest gadgetry from the Apple corporation.
The iPhone 5 is - as the salesmen will tell you - smaller, lighter, faster and smarter than its predecessor. And at yesterday's launch, there was no shortage of eager shoppers wanting to be among the first to find out just how much of an improvement the latest iPhone was.
Well stocked with more than 100 of the slick new phones, the Telstra shop at Riverlink opened at 7.30am, but a sizeable line had already gathered outside. By 8am, the line was about 50 deep.
Tim Cassey, 25, who arrived about 6.30am, was the first to get his mitts on the new device.
His first impressions were "good", but the smaller size would "take some getting used to".
"I feel like I could crush it in my hand, it is so light," Mr Cassey said.
"This will be my second iPhone - my current one is an iPhone 3 which I have been pretty keen to get rid of, because they start to run really slow after a while.
"I will be using it for lots of things, from phone conversations and text messages to phone internet and GPS - it is pretty much like having a computer with you all the time."
Telstra Country Wide area manager Andrew Kelly said one of the key selling points for the new phone was Ipswich's inclusion in the 4G network, which is compatible with the latest phones.
"Only 100 locations Australia-wide were chosen for 4G and Ipswich is lucky enough to be one of them," Mr Kelly said.
"The iPhone 4s was the biggest launch we'd had previously, but we anticipate this will be even bigger."
Phancy Phone
The new iPhone is the same width as the previous model. However, the display is slightly larger
Apple says the new A6 chip is nearly twice as fast as the previous A5 chip
It is marketed as the thinnest smart phone in the world
