SHARE

Customers Line Up At Danbury Mall For New iPhone 7

DANBURY, Conn. -- Newtown resident Rhett Youngberg was one of about two dozen people waiting patiently in a long line outside the Apple store Friday afternoon at the Danbury Fair Mall to buy the iPhone 7 Plus -- the newest model of the iPhone, which was just released by Apple.

Rhett Youngberg of Newtown stood in line outside of the Apple store Friday afternoon to purchase the iPhone 7 Plus, which he pre-ordered.

Rhett Youngberg of Newtown stood in line outside of the Apple store Friday afternoon to purchase the iPhone 7 Plus, which he pre-ordered.

Photo Credit: Sandra Diamond Fox
Newtown resident Mary Anderson is looking forward to the new apps on her iPhone 7 Plus.

Newtown resident Mary Anderson is looking forward to the new apps on her iPhone 7 Plus.

Photo Credit: Sandra Diamond Fox
The Prisma app is one of the features on the new Apple iPhone 7. It turns photographs into different styles of artwork.

The Prisma app is one of the features on the new Apple iPhone 7. It turns photographs into different styles of artwork.

Photo Credit: Sandra Diamond Fox
People wait in line on Friday afternoon to purchase an iPhone 7 at the Apple store at the Danbury mall.

People wait in line on Friday afternoon to purchase an iPhone 7 at the Apple store at the Danbury mall.

Photo Credit: Sandra Diamond Fox
People wait in a long line to purchase their pre-ordered iPhone 7 phone at the Apple store at the Danbury mall.

People wait in a long line to purchase their pre-ordered iPhone 7 phone at the Apple store at the Danbury mall.

Photo Credit: Sandra Diamond Fox

"I was up until 3 a.m. last Friday to reserve it online. You needed to reserve it at midnight, Pacific time," said Youngberg, who is self-employed.

Although the iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 7 was just released, some models are already sold out. The only way to purchase it is by pre-ordering.

Youngberg currently owns the iPhone 6 Plus and is greatly looking forward to the upgrade. "I'm a photographer and videographer so having a camera as good as the iPhone 7 Plus will be appealing," he said.

One of the features of the new phone he is most excited about is the cameras. "There are two different cameras on it -- a wide angle and a telephoto.

"When they are combined, they allow you to produce a photo that doesn't look like it has come out of a camera phone," he said.

The first photo he plans to take with his new phone is of his niece and nephew, who are 2- and 3-years old.

Like Youngberg, Mary Anderson, also of Newtown, was on line, anxiously awaiting her purchase. 

Anderson said one of the reasons she is interested in the new phone is she has always liked Apple products. "I enjoy their ease of use and functionality," she said, adding she has an Apple iPad and an Apple iMac.

In addition, she has an interest in art and really likes the design of the iPhone 7 Plus. "I downloaded the update on the operating system and I really like the look of it.

"I take a ton of pictures and there are some amazing apps you can use on the new phone. The Prisma app turns your phone into different styles of artwork and the Water Log app turns your pictures into water colors," said Anderson, who is a homemaker.

She said she also likes that there is no home button on the new phone, which can potentially cause problems.

Not everyone is excited about the new technology, however. New Milford resident Bill Baker, who owns the iPhone 6, is not planning on getting an upgrade anytime soon.

"My iPhone 6 is almost two years old and it works just fine. I just don't see the 7 as compelling enough to buy," said Baker, who is owner of Baker Communications Group.

He explained in some ways, the iPhone 7 Plus is a step backwards in terms of features because Apple has eliminated the headphone jack. "I have never used Apple headphones because they don't fit in my ears, so I have few pairs of third-party headphones. 

"With the iPhone 7, I would have to remember the adapter for each one of them. It just seems like an inconvenience to the customer in order to further some Apple design priority which does not benefit the customer."

He said what would have gotten him to upgrade, however, would have been a significant improvement in the battery life. "But from what I read in the reviews, the battery life improvement is marginal.

"If Apple stopped its obsession with 'thin' and built a slightly thicker phone with substantially better battery life, it would be a runaway hit, in my opinion.

"At this point, I'm of the mind that I buy a new phone when I have to, and not just because I want the newest thing which looks a lot like the thing I already have and paid for."

to follow Daily Voice Danbury and receive free news updates.

SCROLL TO NEXT ARTICLE