Almost three months after making its debut in the United States, Apple’s iPhone 5 goes on sale in China and 32 addition countries today. As is often the case when Apple launches a new gadget, fans lined up in droves in an effort to get their hands on the Cupertino company’s latest smartphone before it’s all sold out. Some stores, however, were unusually quiet.
In addition to China, the following countries will be getting the iPhone 5 today: Albania, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Ecuador, Grenada, Indonesia, Israel, Jamaica, Jordan, Kuwait, Macedonia, Malaysia, Moldova, Montenegro, Panama, Paraguay, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Taiwan, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Venezuela.
The handset also made its debut in South Korea on December 7, and it’s scheduled to arrive in another 20 countries on December 21. By the end of 2012, the iPhone 5 will be available in 97 markets all over the world.
A lot of Apple’s larger stores and some carriers saw plenty of customers today, but The Wall Street Journal reports that its flagship store in Beijing was unusually quiet. It blames the handset’s hefty price tag, snowfall in Beijing, and the increasing popularity of Android-powered devices.
In other areas, however, customers couldn’t wait to get their hands on the iPhone 5. Here are two videos of the handset’s launch in China, courtesy of MIC Gadget: