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iPhone 6 draws hundreds of fans to Indy stores [The Indianapolis Star]
[September 19, 2014]

iPhone 6 draws hundreds of fans to Indy stores [The Indianapolis Star]


(Indianapolis Star (IN) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Sept. 19--It was Christmas morning for iPhone fans.

More than 400 groggy people lined up in the dark outside the Apple Store at the Fashion Mall on Friday morning to be among the first to buy an iPhone 6 or the larger iPhone 6 Plus. More gathered at the doors of wireless retailers around Indianapolis.



The customers surged in at 8 a.m. when the doors opened and the phones when on sale.

Bill Wenning, 49, said he drove from Greensburg to the Fashion Mall on the Northside so he could buy phones for himself and his wife Julie.


A DJ entertained the Fashion Mall crowd who enjoyed free coffee and pastries. Apple has perfected product hype, and Dennis Gill loves it. He said he arrived at 5:23 a.m. to wait in line.

"I like the excitement of the Apple events," said Gill, 31, Indianapolis. Gill has been an Apple fan "since I was a kid." More than 40 people waited in line outside the AT&T store in Avon.

Sallie Wendell, 56, Plainfield, arrived at 6:30 p.m. Thursday to get the first spot in line. She was joined by her son, Doug, 28.

Sallie Wendell was hoping to purchase an iPhone 6 Plus for her husband.

"He doesn't understand," she said of her generous deed, "that I've got something that sparkles in mind" as a thank-you gift.

The mother and son passed the time playing corn hole and talking with friends who stopped by to visit. They slept in sleeping bags in lawn chairs.

It was her first time standing in line for a new phone.

A couple places behind the Wendells in the line was Sam Gonzalez, 25, Indianapolis, of many overnight waits for the latest updates in Apple's phone line.

"Every one," he explained.

He arrived about 9 p.m., much later than his noon-the-day-before arrival to purchase his first iPhone.

A web designer, Gonzalez said it is important to keep up with the newest technology and features. He's hoping to get a 6 Plus, too, because of its bigger size and expanded functionality.

The worldwide anticipation over the new smartphones was first quenched by sales in Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan on Friday, a prelude to the retail opening in Europe and the United States.

Huge lines formed in Australia, some for days. In cities including New York, many lined up to buy the larger phones in order to resell them in locations the latest iPhones aren't yet available, such as China.

The store sales meant tech analysts could get their hands on the devices, and some promptly tore them apart to take a look inside.

USA Today contributed to this story.

___ (c)2014 The Indianapolis Star Visit The Indianapolis Star at www.IndyStar.com Distributed by MCT Information Services

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