Hundreds of customers packed the sidewalk outside Apple's flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York City on Friday as the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max officially went on sale. Shoppers waited for a chance to be among the first in the city to walk out with Apple's newest flagship phones.
The scene at the glass cube on Fifth Avenue was part of a global rollout that Apple confirmed took place on Friday, September 18, when the company debuted the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max in stores around the world. According to Business Insider, the Fifth Avenue flagship hosted hundreds of customers on launch day. As Fox 5 New York reported, the crowds at the flagship store amounted to a massive turnout for the new devices.
Reuters footage showed the queues stretching outside the storefront as customers waited for their turn to buy the newly available phones. Long lines formed outside the Fifth Avenue location Friday, per a report from Reuters Connect, as shoppers lined up to purchase the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max the moment doors opened.
Apple Executives Work the Crowd on Fifth Avenue
This year's launch had some extra star power inside the store. Apple said three of its top executives, John Ternus, Deirdre O'Brien and Greg Joswiak, joined the Fifth Avenue team to personally welcome customers as they came through the doors, per the same Apple newsroom announcement.
Ternus in particular leaned into the moment. The Fox Business report noted that he posed for pictures and signed autographs for customers both inside and outside the store, turning what is normally a retail transaction into something closer to a meet-and-greet for Apple die-hards.
The Fifth Avenue launch drew a crowd of Apple fans.
New Phones, New Prices
The iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199, while the larger iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at $1,299, Fox Business reported. The two phones launched alongside a broader lineup refresh, with Apple also rolling out the Apple Watch Series 12, Apple Watch Ultra 4 and AirPods 5 in stores worldwide on the same day, per the company's own announcement.
New York wasn't the only local scene. Fox Business also documented customers lining up outside the Apple Store at Menlo Park Mall in Edison, New Jersey, on Friday, showing that the launch-day energy extended well beyond Manhattan into the wider metro area.
A Global Rush for the Latest iPhone
The queues in New York were mirrored across the globe. Customers lined up outside Apple stores around the world as the iPhone 18 Pro went on sale.
In India, the wait started well before sunrise. Customers there queued overnight outside Apple stores for the launch, according to Yahoo Tech's coverage of the worldwide rollout, echoing the kind of anticipation that has become an annual ritual for Apple's most devoted fans.
That devotion was visible around the world. The Fifth Avenue scene this year was part of a broader pattern of crowds gathering at Apple Stores during the launch.
