【Lewd Family [Uncut]】

Khajorn Chiaranaipanich flew for more than two hours to be Lewd Family [Uncut]one of the first people to experience Apple's first store in Singapore.

Witnessing its opening was very important for the managing director at a Thai social news company -- so important, that he had been waiting in the queue at 5 a.m, five whole hours before the store officially opened.

SEE ALSO: Apple's first store in Southeast Asia is here, and this is what it looks like

Located at the heart of Orchard Road, the city's retail centre, Apple's opened its first Southeast Asian location and added its ninth high-profile Apple Store globally, amidst others in Ginza, Dubai, Soho, and New York.

"It's the first Apple store in Southeast Asia, so it's very important for Thai people," Khajorn told Mashable."If they build an Apple Store here, it means that they're building something for us in Southeast Asia. The next market could be Thailand or Indonesia or something like that."

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

A long line of people were already queueing up outside Knightsbridge Mall, before the store opened at 10 a.m. Singapore time.

Some were there since 5 p.m. the previous day. And like Khajorn, many flew in from places like China to witness the store's opening.

"We were going to start school [in Singapore], and when we heard that the Apple Store was opening, we wanted to be here," said Yang Chen, a 28-year-old graduate student from Xiamen, who was at the Apple Store from 8 p.m. the previous day.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

Grey shirts with the Apple logo, a heart shape and a red dot — symbolizing Singapore — were given out to the first few customers.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

"We've been waiting for this store for so long... being at an Apple Store is a different experience. It's not like going to an Apple authorized sale centre. It's very lovely to be here, it's like a shrine for Apple fans," said Reyazuddin Shaik, a 40-year-old Singaporean, had been queuing up since 8 a.m.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Apple's launching the store in a region where Apple has faced immense competition with much cheaper Android alternatives, like Xiaomi, Oppo and Samsung.

It's also faced difficulties with trade regulations in Indonesia, that prevented the tech giant from launching the iPhone 6S in the country.

The Silicon Valley tech giant was only able to launch the iPhone 7 in neighboring Indonesia in April this year after acceding to Indonesian regulations.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

While Singapore is a small market for Apple -- the island has the highest smartphone penetration in the world -- there's still a burgeoning market for Apple in surrounding countries, where smartphone penetration is not as high.

Demand for high-end devices have increased in the region, according to research from IDC, a marketing intelligence firm. In 2015, more than 100 million smartphones were sold in the region, which has a population of more than 600 million people. The number is expected to grow even more in the years to come, as an estimated 3.8 million people come online in the region each month.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Besides being home to Apple's products, the store also features the tech giant's Today at Apple program, with workshops, events and in-store classes occurring with local talent. Apple envisions the store as "modern-day town square," and expects it to be one of its most popular.

The program in Singapore's Apple Store will focus on photography, film, coding, music, art, and design.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

---

Featured Video For You

---

Apple's new 'Apple Park' spaceship campus will open in April

---

Topics Apple

• Social Good
• Life
• Entertainment
• Science
• Digital Culture
• Shopping
• Games
• Deals

• White Knight Syndrome
• Trump's latest social media video is a terrible masterpiece
• iPhone 12 owners can now download iOS updates over 5G, if they turn this option on
• See Hummer EV do its CrabWalk move on video
• Fresh Hell
• Far too many men are sharing their stories online of having sex with a coconut
• Just like you, Jason Momoa got totally pumped about that 'Game of Thrones' battle
• Just like you, Jason Momoa got totally pumped about that 'Game of Thrones' battle
• The Book of No Despair
• BBC newsman totally hates his life because he has to report on surfing dogs

• The season just ended and college football is already showing its dark side
• Michelle Obama takes memorable final stroll through the 'People's House'
• This guy is every San Diego Chargers fan right now
• Bride fulfils her dream by cruising to her wedding in a tractor
• Cops carry a pregnant woman to the hospital after walking 6 miles in snow, win hearts
• Teen turns leg into Van Gogh painting to cope with self
• Kate Middleton speaks powerfully about the stigma of mental illness
• Ryan Lochte would really like to put his poor life decisions behind him
• Solar eclipse glasses: Shop these options at Amazon that will arrive before Saturday
• New Pokémon are coming to 'Pokémon Go', datamine suggests

• Sex, Lies, and Videotape
• PayPal terminates account of Epik, home to Proud Boys domain and Gab
• Twitter is still letting you retweet. You don’t have to quote tweet.
• Amazon and the Dog Whisperer are bringing audiobooks to your posh pup
• Cold War Fever
• Café charges men more to make a point about the gender wage gap
• Bill Murray saw 'Groundhog Day' on Broadway last night and was extremely Bill Murray
• Zack Snyder's 'Justice League' on HBO Max: The Snyder Cut explained
• The Arendt Center’s Dark Thinking
• A cafe in Australia has introduced a 'man tax' to address the gender pay gap

• Emboldened Fight for Health Care as a Right
• Everything coming to Hulu in November 2020
• Everything coming to HBO Max in November 2020
• Robert Pattinson's quest for a NYC hot dog is pure art
• Looking for Twin Peaks
• A New York City
• Trump's latest social media video is a terrible masterpiece
• Twitter is still letting you retweet. You don’t have to quote tweet.
• Techies and Tankies
• Giant inflatable chicken with Trump’s hairdo lands near White House