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Customers enter the Apple Store in Covent Garden, London, as the new iPhone 5 goes on sale. Lewis Whyld/PA Wire/Press Association Images

iPhone 5 available in Ireland from September 28

There were huge queues outside the Apple stores worldwide that began selling the iPhone 5 today.

THE WAIT IS almost over – the iPhone 5 will be available in the Republic of Ireland very soon, on 28 September.

We’ll still be a week behind some other countries though, as it went on sale in the US, Australia, France, Germany, UK, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore today.

As anticipated, there were massive queues outside Apple stores for the phone – but there were also protests in some places.

Belfast

RTÉ reports that around 700 people queued at the Apple store in Belfast, which is located in the Victoria Square shopping centre.

In London, some shoppers had camped out for a week in a queue that snaked around the block. In Hong Kong, the first customers were greeted by staff cheering, clapping, chanting “iPhone 5! iPhone 5!” and high-fiving them as they were escorted one-by-one through the front door.

In Paris, the phone launch was accompanied by a workers’ protest — a few dozen former and current Apple employees demonstrated peacefully to demand better work benefits.

But the protesters — urged by a small labour union to demonstrate at Apple stores around France — were far outnumbered by lines of would-be buyers on the sidewalk outside the store near the city’s gilded opera house.

Ireland

Mobile network Three said that customers can pre-order the phone from today, while Meteor, 02 and Vodafone customers can pre-register their interest.

iPhone 5 will be available from Three for a suggested retail price of €149 for the 16GB model, €249 for the 32GB model and from €199 for the 64GB model online on Three.ie and in selected Three stores nationwide.

Overall prices differ according to the plan chosen with the phone. The 64GB version is €349 on the Classic Flex Max plan or €199 on the Ultimate Flex Plan, for example, both of which have different monthly fees, of €40.66 and €96.57 respectively.

Meteor said that approximately 3,000 customers have already completed their online expression of interest form.

“We expect this figure to increase as the launch date draws nearer. Pricing for the iPhone 5 is expected to be confirmed next week,” said a spokesperson.

(Matt Grayson/PA Wire/Press Association Images)

The phone has been getting great reviews from those in the know, with the New York Times noting that many important features – such as the camera and screen – have been upgraded.

However, it also notes that you have to buy an adaptor plug if you want to use the new connector for the iPhone 5 with any of the existing accessories, chargers or docks.

The iPhone 5 is thinner, lighter, has a taller screen, faster processor, updated software and can work on faster “fourth generation” mobile networks.

But Apple’s new mapping software – which replaces the Google Inc maps app that was on the previous phones – has been coming in for some criticism.

Yesterday we showed how errors in the system mislabel parts of Ireland, with the Airfield farm even being designated as an airport.

Read: Oh dear: Apple Maps has made some pretty big mistakes in its Ireland maps>

Read: ‘It’s got lasers’*. Our favourite quotes from iPhone 5 reviews>

Read: Apple gets record 2 million orders for the iPhone 5>

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61 Comments
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    Mute ÉiRed
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    Jul 31st 2014, 3:22 PM

    I have worked in retail for over 15 years. I loved dealing with people,helping customers with their queries and feeling like I made a difference. Then,you know what happened? People happened. Grumpy SOB’s that come into the shop at 7.30 in the morning,throwing coins at me for a paper without so much as a hello, people complaining that the coffee machine is on a cleaning cycle and walking off in a huff or when you don’t activate petrol pumps within 2 seconds,you get an earful.. People completely ruined my love for retail so….rant over

    208
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    Mute family guy
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    Jul 31st 2014, 3:25 PM

    What’s the difference between people now and 15 years ago?

    26
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    Mute ÉiRed
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    Jul 31st 2014, 3:31 PM

    Experience and 15 years full of taking cr@p from people. Most retail staff can be unprofessional as well,I understand that but I’ve put up with and seen a fair amount of abuse from people over the years and it’s made me want to just get out of it altogether. A nice office somewhere away from people

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    Mute family guy
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    Jul 31st 2014, 3:55 PM

    But you just said in your first comment you loved dealing with people and then you contradicted yourself that you hate dealing with people?

    You get ass###es in all walks of life and in every job. It’s just the way the world is. I have learnt over the years to take these people in my stride and realise it’s not my fault they’re unpleasant. If you stand up to them they usually back down quite quickly. They usually pray on the weak.

    I realise giving lip to unpleasant people isn’t easy when your in customer services but you can make life more difficult for them. Get some pleasure from that.

    19
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    Mute Inntalitarian
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    Jul 31st 2014, 4:28 PM

    Your mistake was staying in retail for 15 years.

    25
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    Mute Katie Collins
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    Jul 31st 2014, 4:31 PM

    I used to like people before I worked in retail, four years of idiocy and snide remarks when you’re trying to do your utmost best for them takes its toll..

    70
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    Mute ÉiRed
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    Jul 31st 2014, 6:39 PM

    Yes I LOVED dealing with people when I first started out but people’s attitude changed my opinion on the job. I don’t hate dealing with people at work but they don’t make the job any easier. Most customers are lovely but you will ALWAYS get at least 3 in any shift that will cause a problem when there is none there. Asking a customer if they have any fuel outside can be a nightmare. IT IS MY JOB TO ASK THIS!! Yet when I ask some people,it’s like I’ve committed the worst atrocity towards them

    33
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    Mute Life in no motion
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    Jul 31st 2014, 7:56 PM

    They’re 15 years older

    5
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    Mute family guy
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    Jul 31st 2014, 8:03 PM

    How do people get offended when asked ‘did you get fuel’ is beyond me?. There is a few people round here like that. The whole community think they’re ass###es so be safe in the knowledge that most people think the same.

    8
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    Mute Super Ted
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    Jul 31st 2014, 8:46 PM

    One of the bullet points says, “Only 27% of shoppers found their main supermarket to be fun and exciting.”

    Whenever I have roller-skated through the Tesco aisles, expertly lobbing everything I need into a basket as I go and usually without dropping anything, I was always stopped by security and abruptly asked to leave :/

    Shopping isn’t exciting for me anymore, I am one of the disgruntled 27%. Sort it out Tesco!

    15
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    Mute Joe Andrews
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    Jul 31st 2014, 4:32 PM

    In retail, the public think they have a right to walk in and completely ruin anything you have, whether it be a display, cleanliness or dignity. They will shout and ball at you for the littlest things imaginable. Families with kids are the worst horror of all, spoiling peoples day with their disregard of other people, so they don’t have to look after the kids. The elderly are split into 2 groups, really nice and pleasant or real S.O.B.’s
    I still get amazed how people walk into penny’s and destroy the stores on a daily basis.
    Retail workers are usually on minimum wage and deserve a medal for what they have to put up with!

    109
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    Mute onlybuzzinwitcha
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    Jul 31st 2014, 4:40 PM

    You sir, I salute you. Do you work or have you worked in retail? Because you know what you’re on about. If you haven’t, I’m amazed at your consideration – something that the majority of the non retail experienced public seem to lack.

    51
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    Mute Katie Collins
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    Jul 31st 2014, 7:01 PM

    He’s dead right, parents that don’t keep control of their kids while enquiring about a product and the children wreck the shop then you spend an hour fixing for it only for it to happen again and again and again…
    Once this little brat walked around the whole perimeter of the store, held his arm out to his level and knocked over EVERYTHING at arms level. Needless to say i was fit to kill the mother…

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    Mute Katie Collins
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    Jul 31st 2014, 7:01 PM

    He’s dead right, parents that don’t keep control of their kids while enquiring about a product and the children wreck the shop then you spend an hour fixing for it only for it to happen again and again and again…
    Once this little brat walked around the whole perimeter of the store, held his arm out to his level and knocked over EVERYTHING at arms level. Needless to say i was fit to kill the mother…

    8
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    Mute Darren kerrigan
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    Jul 31st 2014, 3:16 PM

    Sell blue moulded chocolate eclairs,that’s how Tescos got me to go back to them yesterday

    57
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    Mute Henry Sellars
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    Jul 31st 2014, 3:28 PM

    I can’t understand then, how lidl and aldi have taken the Irish and British markets by storm, since their interiors look like a warehouse. Does not compute….

    54
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    Mute Dennis Collins
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    Jul 31st 2014, 3:43 PM

    Both Aldi and Lidl are bright and airy – Aldi more so, in my opinion. Walk in the door, you can see from one side of the shop to the other. No clutter. Flow around nicely with your trolley. It’s always clean. Get to the checkout and be dealt with quicker than in any of the other supermarkets. They pay their staff a considerable amount more than any other chain and it pays off.

    62
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    Mute Paddy Hannigan
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    Jul 31st 2014, 3:51 PM

    And you can walk into any Aldi in Ireland and find exactly what you went in for in 10 seconds unlike the big names where your a half an hour trying to find a bag of sugar.Aldi may not be fancy but they are functional and cheap.

    62
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    Mute Inntalitarian
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    Jul 31st 2014, 4:29 PM

    That’s bollox about the queues. You often spend 20 minutes queuing in the German shops.

    47
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    Mute onlybuzzinwitcha
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    Jul 31st 2014, 4:33 PM

    I’m always amazed at the speed of the person on check out in Lidl /Aldi. It’s so fast. They also say hi to you maybe have a very brief chat. Then I go to Tesco. About 99% of the times I’ve been in there there’s always a grumpy sod on checkout that sighs before beginning to checkout your goods. Never smiles at you but if one of their colleagues comes over it’s all shits and giggles. The 1% is usually a new person or a needle in a haystack.

    57
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    Mute Neal Ireland Hello
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    Jul 31st 2014, 7:06 PM

    That’s because they’re terrified they’ll lose their jobs if they fail to smile the requisite 4.5 inches and scan one item every 2.7 micro-seconds. At least Tesco lets them have an off-day.

    7
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    Mute Sarah Sue
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    Jul 31st 2014, 4:36 PM

    Has anyone found that you’re almost taken aback when you get a friendly checkout operator in these stores? And that when you do come across one they are almost always foreign?? Its almost funny how downright rude some of the miserable Irish biddies (they are ALWAYS girls/women) are, say hello and they point blank ignore you, through change at you like you have leporasy and ignored again when you say “thank you”. Or leave you standing there while they b*tch & moan to a colleague for 5 mins. Dunnes Stores staff are the worst!!

    52
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    Mute Ahippo
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    Jul 31st 2014, 5:13 PM

    Not exactly retail but I went into burgerking on Grafton street yesterday and encountered two surly slow Irish people employed there. Long queue. Gave up went next door to the much busier but queueless McDonald’s and got served instantly with a smile by a charming Polish person.

    25
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    Mute Ann-Marie Wallis
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    Jul 31st 2014, 4:36 PM

    Can’t beat a shop with a clear, attractive layout. I honestly think this is a huge part of where Tesco fell down in recent years; shops with little order, dirty and unkept shelves etc. Good visual displays, friendly staff and organisation across the shop floor…that’s what retailers need to focus on.

    I recently came across a small clothes shop in Charleville, Co. Cork. Contrary to popular belief that these shops are dying out, the shop was doing roaring trade. Why? The lady that owned the shop was passionate about clothes and buys a very wide range of styles that are appealing to young and old. She also used vintage couches and chairs to add to the boutique vibe she wanted to create. And she utilised social media very well, using case studies of ladies who came to her looking for a dress for a wedding or special occasion, along with competitions etc (she has over 27k FB fans…not bad going).

    If small retailers want to survive, they have to interact as much as they can with the customer and not underestimate the importance of visual impact and genuine enthusiasm for their products.

    42
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    Mute Sinead Clinton
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    Jul 31st 2014, 6:59 PM

    What is the name of the shop?

    4
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    Mute Ann-Marie Wallis
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    Aug 1st 2014, 5:12 AM

    Cherish, on the Cork side as you’re coming into town…well worth a look.

    3
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    Mute Caroline aMarie
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    Aug 1st 2014, 4:24 PM

    The rudeness of staff in most shops here in the town where I live is a disgrace.And in a restaurant you cannot complain if there is an issue with your food.Oh no.People accept every shyte .The customer is not king in Ireland.

    1
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    Mute Caroline aMarie
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    Jul 31st 2014, 11:37 PM

    The customer should be king.In shops.In pubs.In restaurants.Just like in America. Unfortunately the customer is far from being king here.The shopkeeper rules the waves.And since nobody complains..

    1
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    Mute Tommy Crotty
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    Jul 31st 2014, 11:33 PM

    Never ever go to the male checkout staff, slow as snails. Proof that women are multi-taskers and we men are not!

    1
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