Australia iPhone 18 launch descends into chaos as line-cutter claims hes first in world to buy device | Latest Tech News
Bragging rights don’t come simple at an Apple launch.
Just ask Lachlan Collyer, who spent hours camped exterior Sydney’s flagship store only to watch a rival line-jumper barge past him in the sprint for the doorways, telephone held aloft, declaring himself the world’s first proprietor of the new iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max.
Collyer, 20, arrived hours before to secure the top spot in the road exterior Apple’s flagship store on George Street, which opened its doorways before any other Apple Store on the planet at 8 a.m. on Friday.
Lachlan Collyer holds up his new iPhone 18 after spending hours camped exterior Sydney’s flagship store only to watch a rival line-jumper barge past him in the sprint for the doorways. news.com.au
But as Collyer proudly confirmed off his new iPhone 18 Pro in the placing new Glacier ice blue colour, another keen buyer who cut Collyer’s spot in line rushed past him toward the cameras, holding up his own telephone and declaring himself the first in the world to own one, a signal of just how high the stakes felt for some.
“I’m the first! I’m the first! All the f—king news lies!” the person screamed as he left the store
The line-cutter declared himself the world’s first proprietor of the new iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max. news.com.au
The man unleashed a profane tirade after buying the telephone, saying, (*18*) news.com.au
Unfazed, Collyer told the media of his pleasure to be the first to get his palms on the latest Apple release.
“To have the first ever [John] Ternus product is incredibly exciting and, on a technological level, the first ever and last ever 2 nanometer architecture chip set in existence. The first ever iteration came out today – that is incredibly exciting,” he said.
“It says a lot about the direction of Apple and what they’re doing with their product line-ups, and I can’t wait to see for the next 15 years where it’s going to go.”
Despite the drama, Collyer was still widely regarded by the road and Apple workers as the real first buyer through the doorways, and he wasn’t alone in his early start.
Mehak Dhiman, 26, and Shav Chandra, 24, had been camped exterior since 6 a.m. sharing some breakfast before the doorways opened at 8 a.m., torn between the 2 colours – the returning glacier blue, and the brand-new burgundy launched for the first time Friday.
Staff open the main doorways of the Apple Store in the Sydney Central Business District as prospects arrive to choose up their pre-ordered iPhone 18 in Sydney, Australia, on Sept. 18, 2026. Getty Images
The two Apple followers said they had been “excited” to be among the first group in the world to line up for the most recent launch.
“We’re very excited. Excited to see it in person,” Dhiman said.
“We came here specifically early to figure out which color we want to get … the red one’s bold, it’s new, it’s unique, but the glacier is a nice pastel. We just want to see it in person to see how it looks,” Chandra said.
Customers explore the options of the newly launched Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max at an Apple Store in Sydney’s Central Business District on September 18, 2026. Getty Images
Customers inside the store had been also given a first look at Apple’s most anticipated device yet, the iPhone Duo, as the tech giant’s first-ever foldable telephone on preview forward of its official release on October 23.
“Excited to see it and play with the Duo as well; we’re not getting it, but we definitely want to have a look at it, interact with it, and see what the hype’s about,” Chandra said.
Invited to the launch had been a group of Sydney influencers and content creators, including Brad Canning, whose exclusive first look video on the Pro and Pro Max a week before its public launch reached 2.8 million views on TikTookay, as effectively as Jeremy Franco, web character Seva Mozhaev, Andrea Hobbs, and filmmaker Matt Lambley, displaying off the new merchandise on social media.
The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max release comes at the helm of Apple’s latest CEO, John Ternus, who took the reins of the $4.5tn tech giant from Tim Cook and his predecessor, Steve Jobs, and it options Apple’s largest digicam overhaul in years.
Customers pack the Apple Store to secure their latest iPhone. Getty Images
The 18 Pro and Pro Max come with a 48-megapixel digicam with variable aperture, alongside the new A20 Pro chip and what Apple says is the most important battery life enchancment ever seen on an iPhone with up to 34 hours of video playback for the Pro and up to 43 hours on the Pro Max.
The devices also debut a rebuilt model of Siri, powered by the next era of Apple Intelligence under iOS 27, and a smaller dynamic island.
Also launched Friday had been the most recent in the Apple Watch collection, the Apple Watch Ultra 4 and AirPods 5, with nationwide launches of the new Mac mini and Mac Studio to comply with from September 22.
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