Apple fans show up in force, with a queue stretching multiple blocks for the iPhone X release

HUNDREDS of Apple fans lined up for the new iPhone this morning. They paid for it with more than the $1800 price.

JUST when you think people are finally over lining up outside the Apple Store on release day, the company launches the iPhone X.

For September’s iPhone 8 launch, most customers only waited for less than an hour, with the queue barely reaching the corner of the Apple Store in Sydney’s CBD.

Fast forward a couple of months to the release of the iPhone X and it’s a different story.

For years the company has struggled to draw crowds more than a couple of hundred people, but Friday’s event saw Apple fans in a queue that literally stretched multiple city blocks.

Those at the front of the line had been there since the previous Sunday, with controversial methods used by fans wanting to hold their position.

The interest for the 10th anniversary edition iPhone was so high that even those around 20th in line had been camped outside the store for days.

“We have been waiting two days,” one customer told news.com.au. “We were lucky to get in.”

Even those around the corner of the store had a sleepless night waiting for the device, with one man saying he had been in line since 3pm the day prior.

“You have got to get here before the other thousand people,” he told news.com.au.

And what makes this even more bizarre was the fact all of these customers were spending up to $A1829 to purchase the phone outright — something that wasn’t missed by online comments.

Last month Apple sent a press release saying walk-in customers “are encouraged to arrive early” to have a chance of purchasing the iPhone X at their local Apple Store.

These comments contradicted a 2015 memo circulated to staff by Apple retail chief Angela Ahrendts, who told staff to encourage customers to buy and order products online.

“The days of waiting in line and crossing fingers for a product are over for our customers,” the memo read, The Verge reported.

“This is a significant change in mindset, and we need your help to make it happen. Tell your customers we have more availability online, and show them how easy it is to order. You’ll make their day.”

The directive to line up early for the iPhone X coincides with rumours Apple is only expected to have three million units available worldwide for its launch weekend.

Apple unveiled its landmark iPhone X model in early September and described it as “the biggest leap forward since original”.

The iPhone X has an edge-to-edge screen that will be unlocked via game-changing face-recognition sensors.

It has glass on the front and back with a surgical-grade stainless steel band around the sides.

The device is water and dust resistant, comes in space grey and silver, and has a new Super Retina Display with the highest-pixel density ever seen on an iPhone.

Its 5.8-inch display will offer 2436-by-1125 resolution, high dynamic range (HDR) in both Dolby Vision and HDR 10, and OLED technology, which means each pixel creates light itself so there is no need for backlighting.

The home button has been removed, so users will need to tap the screen to wake up the device and swipe right at the bottom to reach the home screen.

Because there is no home button and TouchID, the iPhone X has facial recognition to unlock the device. This tech is hidden next to the front-facing camera.

The FaceID works by projecting 30,000 infra-red dots on your face to check it against a stored image.

Apple has also ensured FaceID works if you change your hairstyle, don a hat or wear glasses — so it will adapt to your face over time. It will also work in the dark.

According to the company, there is only a one in 100,000 chance it can be hacked. TouchID was one in 50,000.

The iPhone X has 12-megapixel cameras with larger and faster sensors, a new colour filter and deeper pixels. It also includes dual optical image stabilisation for better lowlight zoom, quad-LED TrueTone flash and has been tuned for augmented reality (AR) applications.

Customers can get the phone in 64GB and 256GB for $A1579 and $A1829, respectively.

Would you ever queue for an Apple product? Continue the conversation in the comments below or with Matthew Dunn on Facebook and Twitter.