Apple CEO Tim Cook and New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson made a surprise appearance at a New York City Apple store on Friday — greeting cheering fans lined up outside Apple’s flagship Fifth Avenue store for the debut of the iPhone 17.
Customers who pre-ordered the new phone danced as they waited in line to enter the store, and eagerly snapped selfies with Cook, whose go-to pose was a peace sign.
Cook even signed the back of a customer’s brand-new phone.
A CNBC anchor watching live footage of the chaos remarked that it’s “like watching people get in line to meet Taylor Swift.”
The new lineup includes the company’s first major phone redesign since 2017 — the ultra-thin iPhone Air — as well as the new iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro.
New AirPods and an updated Apple Watch also hit stores on Friday.
It was a stark contrast to last year’s Apple launch, which fans blasted for lacking innovation and excitement.
Now there’s a signal of strong early demand for the new lineup in China and the US, according to Apple.
Protesters also showed up to the iPhone debut in full force, carrying signs that alleged Apple failed to adequately protect children from online harms.
Many of the customers waiting in line at the NYC store said they had pre-ordered the Pro – Apple’s more expensive model – which is a good sign for demand at the higher end of the lineup, especially since there was a price increase in the Pro this year, according to CNBC’s Steve Kovach.
A 256-gigabyte version of the iPhone 17 starts at $799, the same as the previous iPhone 16 model with half the storage space.
The iPhone 17 Pro starts at $1,099 for a 256-gigabyte model, the same as the previous year’s model with the same storage size, but without the option of a smaller-capacity phone at a lower price point.
The iPhone Air’s $999 price tag slots it between the company’s other models, as analysts had predicted.
The highly-anticipated, super-slim iPhone Air is just 5.6 millimeters thick and has a “space grade” titanium frame. It’s available in four colors: white, black, gold and sky blue.
Apple upgraded the cameras across its 17 models, with four times the resolution of the iPhone 16.
A new large front camera sensor – which is almost twice the size of the previous model – comes after iPhone users snapped a whopping 500 billion selfies last year, according to Apple.
The iPhone 17 Pro has a new design, better zoom camera and a bigger battery, available in silver, dark blue and orange.
The new A19 Pro chip – which gives devices the same computing power as a MacBook Pro – is also available in iPhone Pro models.
Apple’s AirPods Pro 3, meanwhile, are the first to include a live language translation feature.
Retailing for $249, the new AirPods offer improved audio features, like better noise cancellation; a heart rate sensor; and the best fit yet, available in five sizes.
The wireless headphones also have a longer battery life, lasting eight hours on a single charge, up from six hours previously.
Its new Apple Watch Series 11 offers new health features, like a blood pressure monitor that could alert users to possible complications – continuing Apple’s health push in its wearables.
