At an Apple launch, even the smallest claim to bragging rights can spark fierce competition.
Lachlan Collyer learned that firsthand after spending hours outside Sydney’s flagship Apple store, only for a rival to jump the queue and rush ahead in the race for the doors. With a phone raised overhead, the man proclaimed himself the world’s first owner of the new iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max.
Collyer, 20, had arrived hours earlier to secure the front position outside Apple’s George Street flagship. The Sydney store opened at 8 a.m. Friday, ahead of every other Apple Store worldwide.
As Collyer displayed his new iPhone 18 Pro in the eye-catching Glacier ice blue finish, the customer who had cut in front of him sprinted toward waiting cameras. Holding up his own device, he insisted he was the first person in the world to own one — underscoring just how seriously some launch-day buyers take the title.
“I’m the first! I’m the first! All the f—king news lies!” the man screamed as he left the store.
Collyer remained unfazed, telling reporters he was thrilled to be among the first buyers to get hold of Apple’s latest release.
“To have the first ever [John] Ternus product is incredibly exciting and, on a technological level, the first ever and last ever 2 nanometer architecture chip set in existence. The first ever iteration came out today – that is incredibly exciting,” he said.
“It says a lot about the direction of Apple and what they’re doing with their product line-ups, and I can’t wait to see for the next 15 years where it’s going to go.”
Despite the launch-day confrontation, people in the queue and Apple staff still widely viewed Collyer as the legitimate first customer through the doors. He was far from the only shopper willing to make an early start.
Mehak Dhiman, 26, and Shav Chandra, 24, had been waiting outside since 6 a.m., sharing breakfast ahead of the 8 a.m. opening. Their biggest decision was choosing between the returning Glacier blue option and burgundy, a new color introduced on Friday.
The two Apple fans said they were “excited” to be among the first group in the world to line up for the newest launch.
“We’re very excited. Excited to see it in person,” Dhiman said.
“We came here specifically early to figure out which color we want to get … the red one’s bold, it’s new, it’s unique, but the glacier is a nice pastel. We just want to see it in person to see how it looks,” Chandra said.
Customers inside the store were also given a first look at Apple’s most anticipated device yet, the iPhone Duo, as the tech giant’s first-ever foldable phone on preview ahead of its official release on October 23.
“Excited to see it and play with the Duo as well; we’re not getting it, but we definitely want to have a look at it, interact with it, and see what the hype’s about,” Chandra said.
Invited to the launch were a group of Sydney influencers and content creators, including Brad Canning, whose exclusive first look video on the Pro and Pro Max a week before its public launch reached 2.8 million views on TikTok, as well as Jeremy Franco, internet personality Seva Mozhaev, Andrea Hobbs, and filmmaker Matt Lambley, showing off the new products on social media.
The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max release comes at the helm of Apple’s newest CEO, John Ternus, who took the reins of the $4.5tn tech giant from Tim Cook and his predecessor, Steve Jobs, and it features Apple’s biggest camera overhaul in years.
The 18 Pro and Pro Max come with a 48-megapixel camera with variable aperture, alongside the new A20 Pro chip and what Apple says is the largest battery life improvement ever seen on an iPhone with up to 34 hours of video playback for the Pro and up to 43 hours on the Pro Max.
The devices also debut a rebuilt version of Siri, powered by the next generation of Apple Intelligence under iOS 27, and a smaller dynamic island.
Also launched Friday were the newest in the Apple Watch series, the Apple Watch Ultra 4 and AirPods 5, with nationwide launches of the new Mac mini and Mac Studio to follow from September 22.
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