One
Australian woman decided to dispatch a “robot” to do the queuing for the
release Friday of Apple’s new device in Sydney.
Lucy
Kelly, 22, was the face and voice of the unusual-looking device- an iPad
attached to a remote-controlled Segway-style scooter which she parked outside
the store 27 hours before the iPhone 6s and 6s plus went on sale.
“It’s
a clear demonstration of the future and what’s coming,” Kelly told AFP after
becoming one of the first owners of one of each of the new phones.
The
device waited with other Apple fans until doors opened at 8:00 am on Friday and
was one of the first inside before being taken upstairs via a lift in its case to make Kelly’s purchases.
Kelly,
whose face appeared on the iPad screen, was able to speak to Apple staff and
give her permission to use the credit card she had stuck to her small scooter.
The
marketing manager said the idea came about when she was lamenting to her boss
that she couldn’t be in two places at the same time ;spending two days in the queue as
well as being at work.
Between
them they hatched a plan to use the “robot”, which colleagues checked on from
time to time.
Once
payment was made, the Apple staff “just put my iPhones in a bag for me and hung
it on my microphone”, she added.
Kelly
then remotely wheeled her device out of the store and through Sydney’s city
centre where some of her colleagues were able to collect her phones for her.
Kelly’s
robot helper was one of hundreds queuing for a new phone in Sydney, despite
wet and windy weather.
“The
people in line were so fabulous,” said Kelly who had been able to chat with
them via the iPad.
Australia
was one of the first markets in the global roll out of iPhone on Friday, which
also included Hong Kong, Japan, and China.
Thick
haze from Indonesian forest fires that was blanketing Singapore did not deter
shoppers there, with 23-year-old Kathy Le telling AFP she had queued outside
overnight.
“We
don’t mind about the haze. We have (face) masks already,” she said.
AFP
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