iPhone 18 Pro sales begin: queues and shortages

The long-awaited day for Apple fans around the world has arrived: the company has officially launched sales of the new iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max smartphones in the first wave of countries. As is tradition, the launch of the new generation of devices is marked by massive queues and high demand. According to ixbt.com, customers began gathering in front of Apple Store counters early in the morning. This is reported by news source.

Order and restrictions in front of stores

To regulate the sales process, Apple staff installed special barriers to manage the flow of customers. However, the conditions for purchasing a smartphone in-store today are strictly defined. According to these, only users who have pre-ordered and reserved the device can obtain it; visitors without a reservation are not being served.

Experts note that such intense interest in the new flagships has led to stocks running out in a short time. In particular, at Apple stores in Zhengzhou, one of China's major manufacturing hubs, all iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max models were completely sold out within the first few hours.

Online orders and delivery times

If customers cannot find them in stores, they are forced to order via the online store. However, users placing orders through the official website are facing delivery dates in October, which indicates that demand is significantly higher than supply.

At the same time, reports have spread that the new flagships appeared on some black markets even before the official sales began. For example, in the Russian market, particularly at popular retail points, iPhone 18 Pro Max models were put on sale even before the official start, with prices reportedly reaching up to 900,000 rubles.

It should also be remembered that users in Russia face a number of restrictions when using the new iPhone 18 Pro smartphones. According to ixbt.com, it has become known that owners in this country will not be able to use at least 18 features and services on the device, which creates additional inconvenience for local buyers.