Scores of people line up for latest iPhone in Istanbul

ISTANBUL

Crowds of Istanbulites gathered outside retailers on the evening of Sept. 19, eagerly lining up for the release of the latest iPhone series the next morning, hoping to be among the first to own the new device.

A large number of individuals traveled from different parts of Istanbul to purchase the much-anticipated new iPhone 16 series, which was available for purchase at an Apple store in Kadıköy as well as at an Üsküdar shopping center.

“We witness this same practice every year on Sept. 20, 23 and 24. I live in Zeytinburnu, and I've been waiting in line here since 11:30 p.m.,” said a resident named Ali Zaman.

Noting that he could not wait to own the latest model, Zaman remarked that he was thrilled to experience the new AI feature.

Apple CEO Tim Cook unveiled the new iPhone 16 series during the company's annual September launch.

After receiving a standing ovation for the event, Cook promised the AI package would unleash “innovations that will make a true difference in people’s lives.”

The four different iPhone 16 models will all come equipped with special chips needed to power a suite of AI tools that Apple hopes will make its marquee product even more indispensable and reverse a recent sales slump.

Apple’s AI features are designed to turn its often-blundering virtual assistant Siri into a smarter and more versatile sidekick, automate a wide range of tedious tasks and pull off other crowd-pleasing tricks, such as creating customized emojis within seconds.

For those seeking to access even more AI tools beyond what the iPhone offers, Apple is teaming up with OpenAI to give users the option of farming out more complicated tasks to the popular ChatGPT chatbot.

The current price of the latest iPhone series ranges from 65,000 to 120,000 Turkish Liras.