'Worth it': This Pinoy lined up at an Apple store for days to get first dibs on iPhone 16 model
A man became the first buyer of an iPhone 16 model at Power Mac Center's Mall of Asia branch after lining up for it for days.
In an interview with PhilSTAR L!fe at the launch of the latest iPhone early Friday, Oct. 18, 26-year-old Bryan Leaño said he waited in line from Oct. 16 to 18 just to get first dibs on the new smartphone. He opted for the iPhone 16 Pro Max 512 GB priced at P98,990.
"First night ko medyo mahirap kasi ako lang mag-isa diyan eh, wala akong ibang kasama, tapos dalawa lang kami ng gwardya na nag-uusap," he said. "So kapag gabi, ako 'yung nandito, tapos in the morning papalitan ako ng kasama ko na isa, uuwi lang ako, maliligo ako, kakain ako tapos babalik ako rito para palitan ko rin siya."
When asked if the experience was valuable, he answered, "It's worth it, masaya yung experience na nakuha ko rito."
"Totoo yung kasabihan na 'the early bird catches the worm' kasi pinaghirapan at pinagtyagaan mo 'yan, deserve mo 'yan," he added.
Power Mac Center held its iPhone 16 launch at its flagship store at Mall of Asia in Pasay. Hosted by Show Suzuki and Aiyana Perlas, the event was attended by familiar faces, including Miss Universe Philippines 2023 Michelle Dee. Hip-hop dance group UPeepz also graced the event as well as singer Jayda and band The Juans.
The first 30, 31st to 100th, and 101st to 250th customers also received P30,000, P20,000, and P10,000 worth of accessories, respectively, while those beyond 251st bagged P5,000 store credits.
Apple first unveiled the all-new iPhone 16 series, its first phones to be built with Apple Intelligence in mind, during its "It's Glowtime" event on Sept. 9 (Sept. 10, Philippine time).
Thinking of upgrading to the latest iPhone? Check out its specifications here and see how it compares to the iPhone 15 here.