Queuing up in front of an Apple Store days before the release of Cupertino’s latest iPhone has become a tradition among Apple fanatics now, but one woman in Sydney is taking it one step further. Lucy Kelly is hoping to be the first “robot” to purchase an iPhone and set up her machine stand-in, with iPad attached, outside the George St store about 4am this morning. And now, Kelly can sit at her desk and work, but still talk to people in the queue.
The robot, which is basically an iPad mounted on top of a Segway, adds a different spin to the usual iPhone launch theatrics. Apple’s product launches typically attract long queues at its stores around the world, even though it is possible to order early online and receive your device at home on launch day. People’s reasons for queuing vary wildly — some are dedicated Apple superfans and others line up as part of marketing stunts or to raise awareness about a particular cause.
“I wanted to be one of the first people to have the iPhone 6s, but obviously because of work I can’t spend two days standing in line waiting for a mobile phone,” Kelly told Mashable.
Kelly works at a local media agency called Atomic 212, which built six of the robots to “play with” in their office — although they’ve also been used to allow absent members of the team to virtually attend meetings.
The robot is currently fourth in line outside the Apple Store, and Kelly says she hopes it will be able to purchase the iPhone on her behalf.
We do wonder how it’ll safely transport the much-anticipated iPhone 6s from the store to her possession, however!
In the meantime, Lucy Kelly says she’s not seeing any resentment from fellow line-waiters. “Everyone thinks it is pretty cool,” she said. “They were happy to let a robot go ahead.”
