Apple queues in London, but mainly for iPhone 5s

Apple fans are queuing in London overnight, braving the rain and bad weather to land a brand new, shiny iPhone 5 smartphone.

This morning Apple will open their Regent Street and Covent Garden stores for the arrival of two new handsets – the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C. The iPhone 5C was always meant to be the cheaper alternative to target emerging markets, but with a basic asking price of £469 in the United Kingdom, it seems to be almost battling head to head with the more attractive flagship (£549) model.

The Guardian newspaper have been on hand in London chatting with the punters and it appears that most people in the queue are waiting for the iPhone 5S. The cheaper model is not sparking a desire among the potential audience, and it is just too expensive for developing countries. Analysts say that Samsung and other competitors will continue to pull away from Apple, driving huge revenues in the low end of the market.

They posted “I prefer to buy the better one, not because it is more expensive, but because of the speed, the display, the finger scanner,” said Noah Green, a 17-year-old London student waiting outside Apple's flagship Regent Street store.Under the porticos of Covent Garden, where the shelter helped draw a larger and less damp crowd, a group of Norwegians sat huddled around their phones and tablets. “It doesn't come out in Norway until December,” explained 33-year-old Stig Martin Fiska.

It would even appear that some Apple fans are beginning to question whether Apple are truly inventing with the new models. “They admitted that Apple had lost some of its lustre. “It's lacking a bit of magic now,” said Fiska. “But they are still the best.”

The new iPhone releases from Apple are very important as they help to drive a massive revenue stream. Some Apple fans just want to be first in line to get an iPhone.

For Michael Roberts, an estate agent from Surrey and number three in line at Regent Street, the plan was to sell his place in the queue. “I've already had an offer – £7,000,” he told technology website Pocket-lint. “He's some rich guy from Dubai. We exchanged numbers and he said he'll be back tomorrow morning.”

Kitguru says: Apple fans still queuing in the rain for a new smartphone, but is some of that Cupertino magic vanishing?

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