Apple is consoling angry iPhone 7 fans with gift cards
Apple is trying to console iPhone obsessives who just found out they would not be getting an iPhone 7 Plus in any color or the Jet Black iPhone 7.
On Thursday, the hearts of Apple fans across the world broke as news filtered out that all Jet Black phones and iPhone Plus models will be unavailable to purchase at tomorrow's in-store release.
Unfortunately, for the dedicated people camping outside of Apple Stores across the world it was news that was a little difficult to bear. It means many people will be left empty handed even though they have been waiting patiently for hours and days to secure the new iPhone.
The only way to secure a Jet Black iPhone or an iPhone 7 Plus is with a preorder. Everyone else will be left to purchase the iPhone 7 in Silver, Gold, Rose Gold, and Apple's new matte Black.
Several people who have been camping outside of New York's Fifth Avenue store told Mashable that in an attempt to make up for this crushing news, Apple has been giving out $100 Apple gift cards to early line-goers.
The news definitely took Cat Miller, 18, from Queens, New York by surprise. Miller told Mashable she had already been waiting in the line for a week and a half before she found out the Jet Black models would not be available. "I found out only like thirty minutes ago," Miller said.
Miller told Mashable that had she known she would be leaving without her first choice of a Jet Black iPhone she doesn't think she would have made the decision to camp out. "They gave us a $100 gift card to make it up, but that still doesn’t make anything up," she said.
To ensure her first time waiting in line isn't a complete waste of time, Miller decided to purchase the iPhone 7 in matte Black on Friday when the doors open at 8 a.m.
Efstathios Leontaris, 18, from New Jersey, and his family, who have been camping out since last Friday, also had their iPhone 7 Plus dreams crushed while waiting outside the store. Leontaris said when he found out the models were unavailable he was "obviously heartbroken," but managed to hold back his tears.
He has decided to purchase the iPhone 7 instead, and has been making the most of his first time waiting in line by cherishing his Apple gift card and poking fun at passerbys questioning what the line is for. He likes to tell them he's waiting for Justin Bieber.
Luckily, Jaime Gonzalez who's first in line outside Apple Fifth Avenue was unaffected by the news. Gonzalez, who claims he has been camping out for a whopping three weeks, pre-ordered two 256GB iPhone 7 devices in Rose Gold and Gold.
"I’ve been here three weeks already, he said. "Tonight is going to be 23 days outside the Apple Store." Gonzalez, whose dedicated camp out has definitely earned a gift card, confirmed to Mashable that the first 10 to 15 people outside the store were given the $100 Apple cards.
Mashable reached out to Apple for comment on the decision to hand out gift cards. A small consolation gift for missing out on your iPhone dream.
Nicole is a Senior Editor at Mashable. She primarily covers entertainment and digital culture trends, and in her free time she can be found watching TV, sending voice notes, or going viral on Twitter for admiring knitwear. You can follow her on Twitter @nicolemichele5.
