iPhone 18 Launch in Australia Descends into Chaos Over Line-Cutting
A dispute over who was first in line at Sydney's Apple Store overshadowed the highly anticipated release of the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max.
The launch of Apple's latest iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max in Sydney was marred by chaos when a line-cutter disrupted the carefully organized queue outside the George Street flagship store.
Lachlan Collyer, 20, who had reportedly spent hours waiting to secure the first spot, watched as another customer bypassed him and rushed out of the store with a new device, proclaiming himself the first in the world to own it. The man further escalated the situation by shouting, "I'm the first! All the f osedking news lies!" as he departed.
Despite the disruption, Collyer was still widely recognized by both customers and Apple staff as the legitimate first person in line. Collyer expressed his excitement about owning what he described as the "first ever [John] Ternus product" and noted the significance of the device's "first ever and last ever 2 nanometer architecture chip set."
He added, "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."
Other eager customers, Mehak Dhiman, 26, and Shav Chandra, 24, had arrived at 6 a.m. and shared breakfast while waiting. They expressed anticipation for the new models, particularly the returning Glacier blue and the new burgundy color options.
"We’re very excited. Excited to see it in person," Dhiman stated. Chandra added, "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."
Inside the store, customers also had an early preview of the iPhone Duo, Apple's first foldable phone, ahead of its official release on October 23. Chandra commented, "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."
The event also saw the presence of Sydney influencers and content creators, including Brad Canning, who had previously garnered 2.8 million views on TikTok for an early review of the Pro and Pro Max. Other invited guests included Jeremy Franco, Seva Mozhaev, Andrea Hobbs, and Matt Lambley.
The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, released under Apple's new CEO John Ternus, feature a significant camera upgrade with a 48-megapixel sensor and variable aperture. The devices are powered by the A20 Pro chip and boast substantial battery life improvements, with up to 34 hours of video playback on the Pro and 43 hours on the Pro Max.
These new iPhones also introduce a revamped Siri, enhanced by Apple Intelligence under iOS 27, and a smaller dynamic island. Additionally, the Apple Watch Ultra 4 and AirPods 5 were launched, with new Mac mini and Mac Studio models set to be released on September 22.