By Adrien Taylor
The iPhone five has landed in New Zealand.
It's launch at one minute past midnight was met with the expected hysteria of iPhone-crazed fans, and it isn't over yet.
It's been five years since the very first iPhone, but the buzz each release creates hasn't died down. People are queuing this morning because they failed to scoop one up at midnight launch before they sold out.
No amount of fun and games could distract iPhone fans from the main attraction, but in what seems to be a world away, another kind of hysteria has been brewing this week.
Protests at a Foxconn factory in china where iPhones are built escalated into violence. Employees were protesting about pay and difficult working conditions – 40 people were injured and it took 5000 police 10 hours to bring the rioting to an end.
It's a dark side to the global tech supply chain that's easily forgotten amidst the buying frenzy.
The new iPhone boasts a range of features that its creators say make it the most beautiful device they've ever created. It has a bigger screen, better display, and is thinner and lighter than its predecessor.
But it comes loaded with the new operating system iOS 6, which includes Apple's still-shoddy clone of Google Maps.
Ever wanted to go to Bondi Beach? If you live in Auckland it's just around the corner. But if you want to go to Dunedin Airport, you'll have to fly to Florida first.
Despite the flaws, many analysts are predicting 50 million iPhone 5s will be sold by the end of the year.
By the looks of things here, New Zealand will be contributing its fair share to hitting that mark. The Yoobee store in Newmarket says they'll probably be sold out within minutes of opening.
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