Waiting in line for the Apple iPhone X

Nine years down the line, Nokia’s mobile business was acquired by Microsoft, which launched the Lumia series, struggled, went back to the drawing board, and is now testing the waters with a new line of products. Apple, meanwhile, skipped the iPhone 9 and went straight for the X (ten).

On the morning of November 3, 2017, I was at iZenica’s Noida store; hoping to buy the iPhone X for Rs 89,000 after the store botched my prebooking. Previously, I was told by a store employee over phone that they would be selling the iPhone X for walk-in customers only. Now, they tell me that it is next to impossible to get my hands on a device because of the “limited stock”. However, a store employee was sympathetic to my fiancé’s sob story and promised to confirm by 4 pm whether they could spare a device.

In India, Apple iPhone X will be available starting 6 PM.

We got out token from the store after paying an advance of Rs 3,000.

After an hour’s wait, I get a call saying I can collect my token from the store after paying an advance of Rs 3,000. If I recoiled in horror in 2008, I am over the moon in 2017 to spend triple the money. The Times They Are a-Changing. I was told by a store employee they have taken only 50 bookings and there will not be more than 500 units sold across Delhi NCR at their outlets.

Apple iPhone X stock is yet to arrive but the store employees have received the demo units.

Meanwhile, another Izenica store nearby seemed to be preparing for a film screening. There was a red carpet with velvet ropes. Bouncers in black blazers stood guard at the doors. A small crowd of around 20 people were standing in a queue chatting away noisily. Shubhajit, a store employee, tells me the stock is yet to arrive but they have received the demo units.

We were told by a iZenica’s Noida store employee they have taken only 50 bookings and there will not be more than 500 units sold across Delhi NCR at their outlets.

He was evasive about the number of units they would be receiving today, but did confirm that it would be more than the 50 units received by the Izenica store in TGIP Mall. He said the store would be closed for around two hours ahead of the 6 pm launch. The first few customers will be given goodies and other freebies, he said.

On a question on why people are standing in a queue if they have already pre-booked the device, he said due to the uncertainty over the number of devices, including the colour and size, they will be receiving sales on a first-come-first-serve basis.

Now, drum roll, the wait begins.