Pink is the new black.
Apple iPhone 6s Buyers, Rose Gold Is Bros’ Gold
Analysts estimate that Apple could sell as many as 12 million iPhone 6s and 6s Plus phones over its launch weekend, exceeding the record 10 million smartphones sold in the first three days last year.
Vjeran Pavic for Re/code
The rose gold version of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus was clearly catching the eye of prospective smartphone buyers waiting outside Apple’s flagship stores in Los Angeles and San Francisco.
“There’s enough guys getting rose gold that it should be called bros’ gold,” said Dan Bentley, a 33-year-old Twitter developer who showed up at San Francisco’s Union Square store as it was opening Friday to switch from an Android device to an iPhone — his first since 2007.
Analyst checks revealed that rose gold was popular among the enthusiasts who waited in line Friday to be among the first to lay their hands on the latest iPhone. FBR Capital Markets analyst Daniel Ives estimates 35 percent of customers interviewed during its store checks said they to planned to buy this color, suggesting it’s a major selling point.
“It’s a little bit girly, but I like it,” said Bobby Evans, 28, of Los Angeles, who arrived at the upscale Grove Mall at 7 pm Thursday for the opportunity to replace his iPhone 6 Plus with the new, rose gold edition.
Twenty-eight-year-old Elka Stern shifted back and forth as the San Francisco queue slowly snaked forward. When asked what brought her out, she didn’t hesitate: The desire to buy an iPhone 6s Plus in rose gold.
“That’s the only reason — the color,” Stern said. “Preorder was sold out in that color. I’ve never been in line for anything before but I’m just so desperate to upgrade.”
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Towards the end of the SF line an older man, who wanted to go only by his first name Jack, staked his ground with his cane. He also wanted the rose gold color and considered it a deal breaker. “I’m very pessimistic, I heard it’s sold out,” Jack said. “I came here to give it a shot and I’m willing to walk away. Rose gold or bust.”
Analysts estimate that Apple could sell as many as 12 million iPhone 6s and 6s Plus phones over its launch weekend, exceeding the record 10 million smartphones sold in the first three days last year. Apple has said it is on track to surpass that milestone, but has declined to furnish preorder numbers.
The lines outside the Los Angeles store were considerably shorter than last year, according to the anecdotal accounts of several veteran line-sitters.
Self-described Apple aficionado Gunther Liedl said he has waited in line to be among the first to buy an iPhone since the original model was introduced in 2007. Last year, he arrived at 3 am on launch day to discover a crowd of about 500 people standing outside the Los Angeles store to purchase the hotly anticipated larger-screen device.
This year, Liedl said he arrived after 7 am to join fewer than 100 buyers.
“In past years, you would see the same people,” said Liedl, noting that the enjoys the camaraderie of being in a group of similarly minded tech enthusiasts. “This year, I don’t see anybody.”
Piper Jaffrey analyst Gene Munster counted some 650 people waiting outside the Fifth Avenue Store in New York City, a fraction of last year’s crowd of 1,880 gathered for the iPhone 6 launch. He chalked the difference up to the phone’s at-launch availability in China, which reduced the number of black-market resellers, as well as the traditional slower demand for the modest “s” upgrade cycle.
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.
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