Lengthy Lines for Latest iPhone Launch

Nearly an hour after opening, AT&T at the Queen Ka’ahumanu Center still had a line snaking back to the children’s play area near the Men’s Macy’s store. Photo by Wendy Osher.

By Wendy Osher

Long lines today greeted Apple’s release of its long-awaited iPhone 5.

Here on Maui, nearly 30 people were already in line an hour before opening at the Verizon Wireless store at the Maui Marketplace.

At the nearby Queen Ka’ahumanu Center in Kahului, customers were lined up at both the AT&T and Sprint stores.

Nearly an hour after opening, AT&T still had a line snaking back to the children’s play area near the Men’s Macy’s store.

At each location, store employees were working to expedite the process by walking through the line with clipboards to gather customer information in advance.

The latest launch features a smartphone with a larger 4 inch retina display screen and lighter weight.

There’s also an A6 chip that boasts performance and graphics that is up to twice as fast as the older model.

With the popularity of social media photo sharing through Instagram and other sites, the new phone features an iSight camera that can now take panoramic images.

Other features include an “ultra-fast wireless” function that allows for browsing, downloading, and streaming content at faster speeds; and iOS 6, touted by the company as the world’s most advanced mobile operating system.

Customers at the Queen Ka’ahumanu Shopping Center in Kahului wait in line for the new iPhone 5. Photo by Wendy Osher.

Customers at the Queen Ka’ahumanu Shopping Center in Kahului wait in line for the new iPhone 5. Photo by Wendy Osher.

The line at the Verizon Wireless Store at the Maui Marketplace continued past several tenants to the alcove near the Hawaii Liquor Superstore. Photo by Wendy Osher.

The line at the Verizon Wireless Store at the Maui Marketplace continued past several tenants to the alcove near the Hawaii Liquor Superstore. Photo by Wendy Osher.