X

Optus midnight iPhone 3GS party

Word of tiny queues in the US and UK didn't stop Australia's iPhone faithful from braving the cold to queue for the iPhone 3GS.

Joseph Hanlon
Joe capitalises on a life-long love of blinking lights and upbeat MIDI soundtracks covering the latest developments in smartphones and tablet computers. When not ruining his eyesight staring at small screens, Joe ruins his eyesight playing video games and watching movies.
Joseph Hanlon
optus-iphone09_1.jpg
1 of 17 CNET Australia

Celebrate, good times, come on!

Word of tiny queues in the US and UK didn't stop Australia's iPhone faithful from braving the cold to queue for the iPhone 3GS.

Soon-to-be Optus customers lined patiently outside Optus retail stores in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to be the first in the country to claim an Apple prize.

Selina Harper and Mina Abdallah cut the tape and open Optus' Sydney store to iPhone mayhem.

optus-iphone09_2.jpg
2 of 17 CNET Australia

Drunk on the buzz, and champagne of course!

Optus' Michael Smith welcomes Selina and Mina into the George Street store with a splash of the bubbly stuff.

optus-iphone09_3.jpg
3 of 17 CNET Australia

The prize

Let's not forget why we're here. The Apple iPhone 3GS (or is that an old 3G? It's so hard to tell).

optus-iphone09_4.jpg
4 of 17 CNET Australia

Gimme, gimme

Selina is anxious to claim her prize. While Mina was first to queue, Selina won her place at the front of the line in a dancing competition earlier in the day.

optus-iphone09_5.jpg
5 of 17 CNET Australia

Proud mother

Now it's time to go back home, tuck the iPhone into its cot to dream of all the apps waiting for its precious storage.

optus-iphone09_6.jpg
6 of 17 CNET Australia

Earlier that night...

Selina and Mina atop their iPhone thrones at the head of the line.

optus-iphone09_7.jpg
7 of 17 CNET Australia

Third, fourth, fifth...

At least if you were at the back of the line you wouldn't have Selina and Mina rubbing their super-comfy chairs in your face.

optus-iphone09_8.jpg
8 of 17 CNET Australia

"Trade you the iPhone for this super sweet jacket"

Mina trades the lols with Optus party host Mike Goldman.

optus-iphone09_9.jpg
9 of 17 CNET Australia

"Just kidding, I get one for free. Right? Right?"

Goldman finalising the fine print in his contract for the night's work.

optus-iphone09_10.jpg
10 of 17 CNET Australia

Meet Peter

"When the first (iPhone) came out in Australia I was on it right away ... definitely looking forward to an upgrade."

optus-iphone09_11.jpg
11 of 17 CNET Australia

Meet Richard and Calvin — owners of iMacs, iPods, iPhone 3Gs

"Cost isn't a factor when buying Apple products." Nor is sleep apparently, though they assured us they'd only been in queue for an hour and a half.

optus-iphone09_12.jpg
12 of 17 CNET Australia

Twitterz on the 2G iPhonez

@Mina is totally at the front of iPhone queue lolz, guy from CNET keeps bugging me!

optus-iphone09_13.jpg
13 of 17 CNET Australia

Caption contest

We can see the answer, but what's the question this guy was asked?

optus-iphone09_14.jpg
14 of 17 CNET Australia

This is creepy, right? It's not just us?

It's cold, it's late, we're staggering about the queue, then BAM! we see this lady(?) and we start tapping the heels of our ruby red slippers — there's no place like home.

optus-iphone09_15.jpg
15 of 17 CNET Australia

Flutter by

Ah! Now we get it. That creepy lady(?) in the previous photo is part of a larger collective of circus-y types intent on giving us nightmares.

optus-iphone09_16.jpg
16 of 17 CNET Australia

Solid turn-out

This is where the first part of the line bends and the crowd continued. Optus counted 130+ in Sydney and around 120 each in Melbourne and Brisbane.

optus-iphone09_17.jpg
17 of 17 CNET Australia

The end of the line

Sorry fellas, the headline isn't meant as a warning to prospective partners. Though you do have to wonder about someone willing to queue until the wee hours for an iPhone.

More Galleries

My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera
A houseplant

My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera

20 Photos
Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra
magic-v2-2024-foldable-1383

Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra

10 Photos
The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum
Samsung Galaxy S24

The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum

23 Photos
Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design
The Galaxy S24 Ultra in multiple colors

Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design

23 Photos
I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites
img-0368.jpg

I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites

34 Photos
17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About
Invitation for the Apple September iPhone 15 event

17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About

18 Photos
AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?
img-1599-2.jpg

AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?

17 Photos