But if that’s the case, what was going on at Apple Stores last Friday? As the software designer Parker Ortolani reported on Twitter/X, both sides of the plaza at New York’s Fifth Avenue were packed that day as customers lined up for the new products. There were similar crowds reported at Covent Garden in London, Orchard Road in Singapore, Queen Street in Brisbane, and numerous other stores around the globe. Customers weren’t shopping for the Duo, to be clear, since you can’t even per-order it until October 16. Rather they were all in line for one of four products: AirPods 5 (implausible), Apple Watch Series 12 or Ultra 4 (unlikely), or the main suspect: the iPhone 18 Pro.
Which is odd, because the 18 Pro is objectively quite a dull phone. For a start, it looks exactly the same as the 17 Pro, and only a few external tweaks separate it from even 2022’s iPhone 14 Pro. There are two new colors, but neither are anywhere near as vibrant as last year’s wildly popular Cosmic Orange (which, for reasons best known to Apple’s crack marketing team, has been killed off). It’s hard to believe customers are going mad for the 18 Pro’s looks.
The flagship new feature is a variable-aperture camera system, something I look forward to testing when I get my 18 Pro, but hardly something which will revolutionize the user experience for the average iPhone buyer. It’s been generations since iPhone Pro cameras were anything less than superb; last year a $60m movie was (mostly) shot on an iPhone 15 Pro Max. Photographic upgrades these days are doomed to be minor and applicable only to a niche group of users in a niche set of circumstances.
Beyond the colors and the cameras, what’s changed? It’s faster, obviously (not that you’ll notice the difference on the apps you’re using). The display is actually very slightly bigger, thanks to the shrinking of the Dynamic Island. The battery life is better, and it’ll charge quicker, too. These are all nice, sensible upgrades, but they’re not exactly thrilling. It’s solid evolution, as compared to the Duo’s revolution.
So why are people inconveniencing themselves around the world simply to be among the first to get hold of a decent but hardly groundbreaking phone? Rationally speaking, joining the line on launch day is a colossal waste of time and effort. Far better to buy in advance and get your new phone delivered to your house. Or wait a couple of weeks, check the reviews before committing to a purchase, and stroll into a half-empty shop at whatever time suits you.
Worse, everyone knows it’s a bad idea, and some of the most annoying people on the internet can’t wait to tell you. The comments on any video or news story covering the launch crowds inevitably fill up with professional parade-rainers rushing to point out that the iSheep are being taken for a ride once again, and what they should actually do is… well, probably buy an Android phone instead. But certainly never take joy in a silly consumer ritual promoted by the wrong corporation.
