TOKYO: The new iPhone 16 smartphone series of U.S. technology giant Apple Inc. went on sale in Japan on Friday.

All models are equipped with the Apple Intelligence generative artificial intelligence system, designed to help users draft emails and create summaries of transcripts of phone calls.

However, Apple Intelligence cannot be used for now. The Japanese version will be launched next year.

New functions such as image generation will be added in the future.

The direct sale prices of the standard iPhone 16 start at 124,800 yen, the same level as the iPhone 15 series released in September last year.

More than 10 people lined up at an Apple store in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward on Friday morning to buy iPhone 16 handsets.

The store moved its opening time earlier to 8 a.m., but shoppers started to stand in line before the opening.

At the start of the line was an engineer in his 30s, who bought the top-of-the-line Pro Max model. “I’ll be happy if it learns about the ways I use it and makes it easier for me to operate it,” he said.

JIJI Press