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 Analysts expect a record 12 million to 13 million phones to fly
off the shelves in the first weekend, up from more than 10 million
last year when the hugely successful iPhone 6's launch was delayed
in China, the world's biggest smartphone market.
Among the first to pick up the new iPhone 6s in a cold, rainy Sydney
was a telepresence robot named Lucy, operated by marketing executive
Lucy Kelly.
"I obviously have my work and other things to attend to and can't
spend two days lining up so my boss at work suggested I take one of
the robots down and use it to stand in my place," she said via an
iPad mounted on top of the wheeled robot.
"I love new gadgets. The new camera is meant to be amazing."
Fans around the world have camped out for days prior to the release,
and Apple has said pre-orders suggested sales were on pace to beat
last year's first-weekend performance.
Sales of iPhones accounted for nearly two-thirds of Apple's revenue
in the latest quarter. First released in 2007, it is Apple's
best-selling device to date.
 "The stage is set for Apple to show year-over-year growth over the
Herculean iPhone 6 sales," FBR Capital Markets senior analyst Daniel
Ives said.
After a dramatic redesign last year, which included an enlarged
screen and the addition of mobile payments, the iPhone 6s and 6s
Plus boast more modest improvements.
The phones, which are the same size as last year's models, feature
improved cameras and 3D touch, a display technology based on a
"Taptic Engine" that responds according to how hard users press
their screens.
"The rumors are true - the battery capacity is down a bit, and we
suspect the reduced battery size is to accommodate the Taptic
Engine," repair firm iFixit, which opened up an iPhone 6s and 6s
Plus, said on its website. (http://bit.ly/1OxY5xs)
Apple has said battery life is unchanged in the new phones.
The new iPhones use chips made by Qualcomm Inc, Avago Technologies
Ltd, Qorvo Inc's TriQuint Semiconductor and RF Micro Devices,
Toshiba Corp, Texas Instruments Inc and Skyworks Solutions Inc,
among others.
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"Today is like Christmas for pocket film makers all around the world
because the iPhone 6S Plus is like the newest, greatest toy we have
to play with," said Jason van Genderen, who makes movies on smart
phones in Sydney.
"I've never seen anything like it - it's astounding. The camera
craft has now come up to story telling craft."
Apple has said that just a fraction of its customers have upgraded
to the iPhone 6, suggesting there is plenty of room to grow this
year.
Lackluster offerings this year from rival smartphone manufacturer
Samsung Electronics Co Ltd also will help Apple stand out in the
marketplace, analyst Patrick Moorhead of Moor Insights & Strategy
wrote in an email.
"Over the long haul, the 6s will eclipse the 6 as Apple is even more
competitive versus Samsung in emerging regions and is gaining share
in traditional regions," Moorhead said.
"Samsung didn't bring a whole lot of compelling features to
consumers with their new lines of phones."
The iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, which start at $199 and $299 with a
two-year service provider contract, go on sale on Friday in
Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, New
Zealand, Puerto Rico, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United
States.
(Additional reporting by Supriya Kurane in Bengaluru; Editing by
Stephen Coates and Ted Kerr)
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