Since Thursday morning, a day before stores began selling iPhone 14 models, many Vietnamese waited in front of an Apple Store on Orchard Street in Singapore, suitcases in tow. However, a store manager said that this year, the iPhones would not be sold directly. Only those who had pre-ordered them online could get them.
Many were disappointed with the announcement and waited for the store to change its decision or left to look for another store.
By the afternoon, a local distributor not too far away from the Apple Store said people could begin getting in line to by iPhones 14.
However, a sign written in different languages, including Vietnamese, was put up to inform the people that only the first 100 people could buy one and the store could not guarantee that people would get the model they want.
Also Thursday afternoon, the Apple Store in Singapore installed barricades so it could hand iPhone 14 models to owners who'd pre-ordered them. Many Vietnamese who'd been waiting there hoped they could buy the iPhones directly from the store, instead.
"Our group had to split up to get in line in two places, trying not to eat or move around too much so we would not miss anything," said Nguyen Lam, who runs an iPhone business in Vietnam.
On Friday, a few hours before the sale of iPhone 14 began, the Apple Store announced it would also sell phones to those who have not pre-ordered. However, only the first 100 people could get them.
A similar situation happened to Vietnamese citizens who flew to Thailand to buy the new iPhones on the day of their release. Many Vietnamese chose Thailand instead of Singapore due to lower accommodation and food costs, among other reasons.
On Thursday morning, people lined up in front of the Apple Store Central World in Bangkok also heard an announcement saying the store would only sell the phones to those who had pre-ordered.
But on Friday morning, the store allowed those who had not pre-ordered to buy the phones as well, but constantly changed schedules and announcements throughout the day.
"Apple Thailand was quite unprofessional on the first day of selling iPhones 14. The information they gave out was too inconsistent, putting us in a tough spot," said Tuan Anh, a Vietnamese tourist who came to Thailand to buy the new iPhone.
"Instead of letting us into the store, they requested us to pre-order on the website and come and get the phone later. It was first supposed to be at 10 a.m., but then got delayed to 3 p.m. Now I'm not sure when I can get my phone so I can fly back to Vietnam," he said.
Present at the Apple Store in Thailand early, Thanh Tung from northern Vietnam's Quang Ninh Province was one of the first people to receive the coveted new model.
Tung said he got lucky. He wanted to buy the phones as gifts for loved ones, so he pre-ordered them online to get them immediately.
"Getting in line is tough, and policies kept changing. If I had not pre-ordered, like in previous years, I might have not been able to buy the iPhone," he said.
In Singapore, Lam said his group had also received their first iPhones 14 after a day of waiting.
As buying it is very difficult, Lam anticipated that the price of an iPhone 14 Pro Max could reach over VND60 million ($2,500) on the first day it is available in the Vietnamese market.
iPhone 14 is priced $799 and iPhone 14 Pro 999 on Apple Stores.
