When we purchase our beloved mobile gadgets from the various stores that retail them, we almost forget the amount of work and the numerous processes that go into producing a freshly boxed, factory sealed device. With Apple having already taken some 4 million iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus pre-orders, the shipments are arriving by the plane load, and below, we have a rare, first-hand look at the process of hauling them over by air.
We know that the Apple iPhone, like most of the company’s products, is produced in China, and that it must, somehow, be shipped across the world to the many millions of customers. However, it’s not often that we get a chance to take a look inside a Boeing 747 carrying thousands of units at a time, but thanks to a reader over at MacRumors, we can now gawk at what 195,000 iPhones look like when shipping into Alaska.
With a total weight of 256,000 lbs, this is certainly not a light load, and although you cannot see the contents because everything is obscured under tarpaulin, the fact that this bundle arrived early on September 15th means that it’s likely to be serving many of the lucky few who’ll be in receipt of their iPhone 6 / 6 Plus on the September 19th release date.
While the surge in pre-orders means that folk looking to secure a unit will not be able to use it on the 19th, there’s always a fairly reliable way of getting hold of an iPhone on Friday – queuing. Standing outside your local Apple Retail Store mightn’t seem ideal, but it’s a fairly small price to pay – especially given the more than $1,700 cost of an iPhone 6 Plus on eBay.
Still, if you acted early and pre-ordered through certain carriers, your device may well be listing as “preparing for shipment” right now, and if this indeed the case, then there’s a reasonable chance that your handset was flown in on this very plane.
With iOS 8 now ready for lift-off, the wait is well and truly on for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, and with just three days to go in some parts of the world, here’s to hoping there are no significant, Antennagate-like launch disasters.
And oh, did you order yourself an iPhone 6?
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