New iPhone provokes frenzy in Hong Kong and London

APPLE’S new iPhone made its hotly awaited debut on Friday, with buyers storming stores in Asia and queues forming in European cities. Sales of the device, which combines a music and video player, cell phone and Web browser, kicked off in New Zealand, where a22- year- old student became its first owner. “I’m going to put this on charge, have a play around with it and have anice long sleep,” said Jonny Gladwell, who queued in freezing temperatures for about 60 hours to be the first person to buy the iPhone at a minute past midnight on Friday. Guards in bullet- proof vests and helmets brandished shotguns and guarded over 500 devices on sale in Hong Kong. Softbank Corp, which sells the iPhone in Japan, said over 1,500 people lined up outside its flagship Tokyo store. Policemen yelled at passers- by to make room. In London, an orderly queue in front of the flagship store of O2, a unit of Telefonica, extended around the corner. “We ordered lots. We’ve seen the demand the first time, but we’re blown away by it. I think it is unprecedented,” said Steve Alder, O2 UK’s iPhone director. “We’ve got stocks coming in every week Iam confident that by the end of the summer, everyone who wants one will have one.” “The iPhone phenomenon is going to stimulate the adoption of smart phones. It will change the landscape, the way the iPod did for the MP3 player industry,” said Charles Guo, analyst at JPMorgan. Analysts expect the new iPhone to draw as many as 10.5 million buyers worldwide this year.