Kashmir, September 20,2025- Apple’s latest flagship, the iPhone 17, launched on Friday to an unprecedented frenzy, with eager customers lining up for hours—even camping overnight for up to 21 hours—outside Apple stores across major cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Srinagar in Kashmir. The massive anticipation was palpable as fans in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Kashmir’s Srinagar formed long, serpentine queues, determined to be among the first to get their hands on the new devices. Retailers reported record-breaking foot traffic on opening day, with early buyers sharing stories of camaraderie and determination in the long lines. At the Apple Store in Delhi’s Saket Citywalk Mall, as also in Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Srinagar, people lined up well before store opening hours, underscoring strong demand fuelled by enthusiastic young buyers and the brand’s premium appeal. In Bengaluru, the newly-opened Apple Hebbal store at Mall of Asia witnessed heavy footfall as excited shoppers lined up early to purchase the newly launched iPhone 17 lineup along with the latest Apple Watch and AirPods. Similarly, in Srinagar, Kashmir, tech enthusiasts gathered in significant numbers outside authorized resellers and premium outlets, reflecting the growing Apple fervor in the region despite limited official retail presence.
The frenzy turned chaotic in some instances, with a scuffle breaking out among customers outside the Mumbai Apple Store at BKC Jio Centre, prompting security personnel to intervene. Videos showed dozens of men jammed together, slapping and pushing each other amid the rush, with one individual even being dragged away by guards. While no major incidents were reported from Kashmir, the excitement in Srinagar mirrored the national hype, with locals posting about their early morning waits on social media. Apple has four prestigious Apple Stores in India, one each in New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Pune. The queues were equally large at other locations, with buyers waiting patiently overnight outside Apple’s New Delhi store in Saket’s Select Citywalk Mall just to be the first ones to buy the latest iPhone. Some buyers claimed they had been waiting since 1 a.m. for the store’s 8 a.m. opening, and the hype was so high that a few had called in sick at work just to be there for the iPhone 17 launch. In Kashmir, the enthusiasm extended to online pre-orders and local electronics hubs in Srinagar, where demand surged for the new series. The new series, which includes the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max, alongside new Apple Watches and AirPods Pro 3, is priced between Rs 82,900 and Rs 2,29,900 in India. It became available starting Friday for customers who have pre-booked the device. In the US, the iPhone 17 series is priced between USD 799 (about Rs 70,370) and USD 1,999 (Rs 1.76 lakh) apiece. One of the customers, Mohammad Suhail, who purchased an iPhone 17, said it was “nice to have a store in Bengaluru.” Apple had launched the retail store in Bengaluru on September 2, in a grand opening that marked its debut in South India. In Kashmir, buyers like those in Srinagar expressed similar excitement, with many opting for deliveries or visiting multi-brand outlets to snag the devices amid the nationwide buzz. While there is no official word from Apple yet on record turnout, analysts say Apple’s growth in India is being fuelled by its strong brand appeal and wider adoption of EMI schemes among young buyers. Tarun Pathak, Research Director at Counterpoint Research, highlighted the aspirational appeal of the Apple brand and its strong momentum in India, marked by double-digit growth.
This trend is evident even in regions like Kashmir, where smartphone penetration and premium device demand are on the rise. The iPhone 17 series comes powered by Apple’s latest silicon chip and runs on iOS 26, designed to seamlessly support the company’s new suite of AI features branded as Apple Intelligence. All iPhones produced in India are shipped to meet the requirements of the US market. The company recently commenced production of the iPhone 17 series at its second-largest manufacturing unit based in Bengaluru, operating under informal restrictions imposed by China. The launch underscores Apple’s rising footprint in India, with its stores turning into hubs of frenzy and fanfare as the iPhone 17 officially hit the shelves, extending the mania from metropolitan centers to vibrant regions like Kashmir.
