iPhone 5 Release Date: Consumers Not Affected By Mixed Tech Reviews, Apple Fans Line Up Worldwide

Apple consumers were not shaken by the mixed tech reviews of the iPhone 5 which sold over 2 million units on the pre-order release date.  The phones finally arrived in stores on Friday, Sept. 21 at 8:00 a.m. local time and was greeted by fans who camped overnight and even over days to get their hands on the phones. 

Apple fanatics from all nine countries including the United States, Hong Kong, Japan, Australia, Canada, Singapore France, Germany, and the UK lined up early.

One man named Todd Foot said he had waited 70 hours to get his hands on Australia's first iPhone to post a review online.  "I just want to get the phone so I can feel it, compare it and put it on our website," he said sitting on his chair.

Though the weather was not good, Japanese fans waited in line under the rain in Tokyo.  Taiyo Nakashima said, "It's almost like a festival, people just camping in the center of Ginza, just drinking and playing and talking to each other.  It's not really just buying the phone, it's just enjoying the party, really."   Fans in London camped out for 1 week forming lines surrounding the block.

Analysts predict over 10 million smartphones will be sold at the Apple Store and other retailers including AT&T, Sprint, Verizon among others in the first week alone.  A new record has already been set as the iPhone 5 has doubled in pre-order sales of the iPhone 4S.

The new iPhone 5 was barely announced on Sept. 12, 2012 at the special invitation-only Apple event held in Northern California.  Though the late Steve Jobs was greatly missed, Apple's excellent marketing and quality assurance has already won the hearts of loyal fans who eagerly watched the unveiling of the new Apple products.

Throughout the event, tech websites were contributing their honest feedback about the phone realtime.  Overall, the feedback was positive with a few glitches.  The main complaint is the Apple maps.  It's not reliable and has a smaller database than the Google maps.  Also, the new connector is not adaptable with previous Apple devices.  Other than those two major glitches, the new iPhone boasts a thinner, faster, lighter model that is made of quality glass and aluminum.

"I love Apple.  It's only the iPhone for me." said a Japanese fan.