The iPhone 5 has gone in sale in Irish stores today, a week after it launched in the UK and US.
The iPhone 5 went on sale in Irish stores today, a week after it launched in the UK.
Demand for the phones has been high in recent days, and today’s launch was no exception.
Determined crowds of Apple fans braved the September weather to queue outside some of Dublin city’s phone shops, in the hopes of being among the first to get their hands on the device.
Some taking their chances outside O2’s Grafton Street store had been there since 2am; others had queued since 4.30am to be sure to get the phone model they wanted. Stores opened earlier than usual for the occasion.
“There was only certain models available online. The one I’m looking for is the 64GB one, they only have a couple of those,” said Kealan O’Rourke. “They’re already sold out a few people into the queue. If I didn’t get it today I’d be waiting months.”
Earlier today, Apple's chief executive Tim Cook issued a written apology following widespread criticism over mapping software released with the company's latest iteration of the iPhone.
"We are extremely sorry for the frustration this has caused our customers and we are doing everything we can to make Maps better," Mr Cook said in a letter to customers posted today on company's website.
Apple, touting the map feature as a key software change in the iPhone 5, built its navigation application to replace Google Maps program, the iPhone's default map software since the device was first introduced in 2007.
While Apple's new software introduces features such as turn-by-turn navigation, it has been faulted by users and technology gadget reviewers for getting disoriented when navigating users, for the lack of public transit information and for not having an exhaustive catalogue of landmarks for people to search for.
Stocks of the device are said to be limited. Apple took two million preorders for the iPhone 5 in the first 24 hours. In the first weekend of its release, that figure rose to five million in sales, outstripping the previous record set by the 4S, which sold more than four million in its first weekend.
However, chief executive Tim Cook said stores would continue to receive iPhone 5 shipments regularly and customers could still order online.
The mobile networks had their own ways of dealing with anticipated demand. Customers could preregister their interest in the phone, and O2 Ireland decided to limit sales to existing customers only initially.
Operators said demand throughout the day had been strong. O2 Ireland said hundreds had queued at various stores around the country this morning ahead of the launch.
Three Ireland said it was in “huge demand” today, and it expects to be sold out over the weekend.
The iPhone 5 is Apple’s thinnest and lightest phone yet. It comes with a 4 inch screen - larger than its predecessor - and a new A6 chip that Apple says performs faster than the iPhone 4S’s .
The phone initially went on sale on September 21st in the US, the UK, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore. It went on sale today in 22 other countries, including Ireland, Spain, Portugal and Italy.
