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Light Reading's Official MobileCON Show Site: October 9-12, 2012
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Sarah Reedy

iPhone 5 Reflections From Chicago

September 21, 2012 | Sarah Reedy | Comment (1)
   
  
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12:50 PM -- CHICAGO -- The iPhone 5 launch today marked my eighth trek downtown to the Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) store to take pictures and chat with the line waiters. It's hard to believe it's been five years, five iPhones and three iPads now, and the lines and excitement have barely wavered since that first iPhone 3G.

But, like NYC, that's the vibe I saw on Michigan Avenue today where the Apple store had a line that wrapped around the corner. (See iPhone 5 Launches in NYC.)

Unlike year's past, however, there were far fewer new faces in line. Most were already iPhone users, upgrading to the latest version.

That seemed to be how most chose which wireless operator to go with as well. The people I asked said they were sticking with the carrier they already had. A few over at Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S) cited unlimited data as their motivator, and only one said Verizon Wireless 's Long Term Evolution (LTE) network was the reason they chose it. Network reliability and coverage were important to most, but 4G seemed to be an afterthought.

Check out the scenes from Chicago's Apple and carrier partner stores by clicking on the image below.

Falling for the iPhone 5
Apple launched its latest iPhone on the first day of Fall. You could almost taste the change in the air.

— Sarah Reedy, Senior Reporter, Light Reading Mobile
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mendyk
User Ranking
Friday September 21, 2012 4:20:50 PM
no ratings

Since this is becoming such a predictable "tradition," maybe LR should apply the New Year's Rockin' Eve model to its Apple coverage -- you know, video feeds from Chicago, New York, Vegas, etc. The question is who would play Ryan Seacrest to Dan's Dick Clark.

The blogs and comments are the opinions only of the writers and do not reflect the views of Light Reading. They are no substitute for your own research and should not be relied upon for trading or any other purpose.
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