Apple's larger, faster iPhone was a hot commodity at Apple's Opera store in Paris. Along with the new customers came a swarm of reporters, along with union officials trying to get better benefits for Apple employees.
Mikhail Vorobyev, one of the early customers to buy an iPhone 5 at Apple's store in Paris, shows off his new purchase.
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iPhone 5 customer in Paris
Waiting in line overnight to buy an iPhone 5 is an event to be remembered, not a mere purchase. Here, one customer in Paris uses her older iPhone to take a sweeping video of the line and the store.
iPhone 5 customers check out the options at Apple's store in Paris.
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Hawking the wares
Where better to find iPhone accessory customers than an iPhone 5 line? Here a representative for Sculpteo pitches custom iPhone cases that feature a cutout sihouette of the customer's profile.
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Preaching the unionization gospel at the iPhone 5 launch
Laurent Degousee, secretary of the Solidaires Unitaires Democratiques (SUD) union, stands before the Paris Opera house as the iPhone 5 goes on sale in France's capitol. He was trying to encourage new membership, to get Apple to improve working conditions and raise employee pay, and to mark a strike of 40 Apple employees. The strike didn't seem to slow Apple sales.
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Union protest leaflets
Representatives and memberes of the Solidaires Unitaires Democratiques (SUD) union were at the iPhone 5 launch in Paris to try to win allies for the cause. This is a box of leaflets explaining a strike at the store that didn't disrupt iPhone sales.
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Applause for iPhone 5 buyer
Apple employees applaud iPhone 5 customers as they leave the Apple store in Paris.
Bored waiting in the iPhone 5 line in Paris? You can always gaze upon the golden statuary across the road.
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Paris Opera house
Lyres adorn the Paris Opera house across the street from Apple's flagship store in France.
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iPhone 5 buyer
A new iPhone 5 customer emerges from an Apple store in Paris.
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iPhone 5 line in Paris
Along the side of the Apple store in Paris, the iPhone 5 line stretched back and forth several times, crossed the street, and continued around the next corner.