New Delhi/Mumbai, Sep 20 : It was a 'wow moment' for thousands of Apple lovers in India on Friday as they started receiving 'Make in India' iPhone 16 at Apple BKC in Mumbai and Apple Saket in New Delhi and Apple -- along with at other Apple Authorised resellers stores amid long queues since early morning hours.

At the both Apple Delhi and Mumbai retail stores, hundreds of people who had pre-ordered the new 16 series -- iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max -- queued up early to get their devices.

At Apple BKC, customers from various cities like Ahmedabad, Surat, Madhya Pradesh, Nagpur, Indore, Bengaluru, Goa, Nashik and Nanded waited overnight to make purchases.

"I came from Surat specifically to buy iPhone 16 Pro. I come every year for the launch. Our entire family uses iPhones,' an iPhone customer told IANS, saying he anxiously waited for this day after pre-booking the iPhones on Apple Online.

Several users wished to get their iPhones in the 'Desert Titanium' colour, which was in high demand.

'I have come to buy iPhone 16 Pro for my entire family. Since the first-generation iPhone, we are used to iPhones and cannot switch to any other device,' another user said, holding several iPhone boxes in his hands.

Several buyers were also seen with iPhone 16 Pro Max boxes in their hands, again confirming the premiumisation trend that is now maturing in the country.

Long queues were also seen at Apple Saket since early morning, with retail staff cheering the first buyers of the new iPhones and Watch Series 10.

A user who came to the Apple Store at 4 am, told IANS that he has been an iPhone user for five years 'and it's always been my dream to upgrade whenever a new phone is released'.

'I'm happy to be doing that now. I've heard that this phone has some new features, including an improved zoom and camera, and I'm especially excited about that,' he added.

The company saw a surge in pre-orders for its 'Make in India' iPhone 16 in the country. The new devices are set to break previous export records.

The ongoing channel checks by industry suggested that iPhone 16 Pro models are also witnessing a strong traction from buyers, owing to its more strategic and accessible pricing, in comparison to the 15 series.

The analysts expect a healthy mix of upgrades this year for Apple in the country. The momentum is great with the government's thrust on local manufacturing as the iPhone 16 models are being manufactured/assembled in India with simultaneous availability along with the global market.

Apple's latest iPhone 16 is being produced and launched globally from the Indian factories. Driven by the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme, the tech giant reached around $5 billion in iPhone exports from India in the April-August period this fiscal (FY25).

As per industry data, this is a growth of over 50 per cent from the same period of the first five months in FY24.

/IANS