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UAE Government Launches AI-powered Chatbot Platform

The platform was designed to address a wide range of inquiries and requests, from simple information to more complex service inquiries. WAM
The platform was designed to address a wide range of inquiries and requests, from simple information to more complex service inquiries. WAM
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UAE Government Launches AI-powered Chatbot Platform

The platform was designed to address a wide range of inquiries and requests, from simple information to more complex service inquiries. WAM
The platform was designed to address a wide range of inquiries and requests, from simple information to more complex service inquiries. WAM

The “U-Ask” platform, a unified AI-powered chatbot for government services, is now available on the official portal of the UAE Government, Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported Tuesday.

Using generative AI technology, the platform allows users to access information about government services in one place in both Arabic and English, including service requirements, relevant information based on their preferences, and direct links for applications, WAM said.

Ohood bint Khalfan Al Roumi, Minister of State for Government Development and The Future and Chairperson of the Higher Committee for Government Digital Transformation, said the platform would enable the Committee to achieve its goal of advancing the government’s digital efforts, integrating and coordinating its projects, and improving the efficiency of its systems.

Al Roumi added that the UAE Government’s digital system is constantly being improved by the committee, which involves upgrading relevant infrastructure and systems in line with its pledge to offer streamlined services that meet people’s needs.

Chief of Government Services for the UAE Government Mohamed bin Taliah said users could easily and flexibly access government services through the chatbot platform.

The UAE government aims to provide a smoother, simpler user experience, he added, noting that government services in the UAE serve different groups and sectors both inside and outside the country, and this 24/7 information and support service is a new step for the UAE’s global leadership in providing the best government services.

The platform was designed to address a wide range of inquiries and requests, from simple information to more complex service inquiries. It also provides comprehensive answers, including basic information and available ways to apply for services.

The platform was developed in partnership with Microsoft and PwC Middle East and can provide personalized recommendations and suggestions based on users' preferences and previous interactions.

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Technology

French Authorities Received a Software Update for Apple’s iPhone 12 

iPhone 12 phones are seen at an Apple Store on Broadway in downtown Los Angeles, California, US, June 24, 2021. (Reuters)
iPhone 12 phones are seen at an Apple Store on Broadway in downtown Los Angeles, California, US, June 24, 2021. (Reuters)
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French Authorities Received a Software Update for Apple’s iPhone 12 

iPhone 12 phones are seen at an Apple Store on Broadway in downtown Los Angeles, California, US, June 24, 2021. (Reuters)
iPhone 12 phones are seen at an Apple Store on Broadway in downtown Los Angeles, California, US, June 24, 2021. (Reuters)

French authorities have received a software update from Apple for its iPhone 12 and are reviewing it, a source at the French digital ministry told Reuters on Tuesday.

The US tech company had pledged to update the software to defuse a row over radiation levels. It had until Wednesday to do so after France suspended sales of iPhone 12 handsets following tests it said found breaches of radiation exposure limits.

Apple contested the findings, saying the iPhone 12 was certified by multiple international bodies as compliant with global standards, but said on Sept.15 it would issue a software update to accommodate the testing methods used in France.

Researchers have conducted a vast number of studies over the last two decades to assess the health risks of mobile phones. According to the World Health Organization, no adverse health effects have been established as being caused by them.

But the radiation warning in France, based on results of tests that differ from those carried out in other countries, has prompted concerns across Europe and other countries, including Belgium, which asked to benefit from the software upgrade too.

Industry experts said there were no safety risks as regulatory limits, based on the risk of burns or heatstroke from the phone's radiation, were set well below levels where scientists have found evidence of harm.

Apple launched the iPhone 15 earlier this month and the iPhone 12 is not available to buy from Apple directly. It can, however, be bought from third parties that have inventory, or trade old phones.

A bigger issue would have been a potential recall, which France had threatened if Apple had refused to do a software update.

Technology

CD Projekt's 'Phantom Liberty' Rated Very Positive on Steam 

Karolina Kaluzynska, 28, plays CD Projekt's game Cyberpunk 2077 in Warsaw, Poland, December 14, 2020. (Reuters)
Karolina Kaluzynska, 28, plays CD Projekt's game Cyberpunk 2077 in Warsaw, Poland, December 14, 2020. (Reuters)
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CD Projekt's 'Phantom Liberty' Rated Very Positive on Steam 

Karolina Kaluzynska, 28, plays CD Projekt's game Cyberpunk 2077 in Warsaw, Poland, December 14, 2020. (Reuters)
Karolina Kaluzynska, 28, plays CD Projekt's game Cyberpunk 2077 in Warsaw, Poland, December 14, 2020. (Reuters)

"Phantom Liberty", the long-awaited expansion to Polish video game developer CD Projekt's flagship game "Cyberpunk 2077", had received a "very positive" rating on Steam platform based on 1,067 user reviews just few hours after game's launch on Tuesday.

Cyberpunk 2077, which is offered at a 40% discount, has led the top sellers chart on Steam platform since Monday, with Phantom Liberty in second place.

The release of Phantom Liberty is CD Projekt's first major game premiere since bug-ridden launch of Cyberpunk 2077 in December 2020.

The expansion was released on PC and current-generation consoles. It offers a spy-thriller adventure, featuring two film stars - Keanu Reeves, known from the base game, who is back in the role of Johnny Silverhand and Idris Elba, who is playing the completely new character of Agent Solomon Reed.

The price of the expansion had been set at 99 zlotys ($22.74) for all platforms.

Phantom Liberty's PC version scored 89 points on the Metacritic 100-point scale after 47 critic reviews, with PlayStation 5 version scoring 88 points based on 43 critic reviews and Xbox Series X|S version hitting 89 points based on 12 critic reviews.

"Phantom Liberty is Cyberpunk 2077 at its best. CD Projekt Red has taken the lessons from the original release and focused on the parts that mattered most to deliver a thrilling and impactful experience (...)", GameSpot, an American video gaming website, said in a review.

The expansion is the last project to be developed on CD Projekt's own technology RED Engine, with the company switching to external Unreal Engine for its upcoming developments, that include Cyberpunk sequel.

Technology

Spotify Tests Voice Translation Feature for Podcasts

Small figurines are seen in front of displayed Spotify logo in this illustration taken February 11, 2022. (Reuters)
Small figurines are seen in front of displayed Spotify logo in this illustration taken February 11, 2022. (Reuters)
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Spotify Tests Voice Translation Feature for Podcasts

Small figurines are seen in front of displayed Spotify logo in this illustration taken February 11, 2022. (Reuters)
Small figurines are seen in front of displayed Spotify logo in this illustration taken February 11, 2022. (Reuters)

Spotify Technology is testing an AI-powered feature that will translate podcasts from the likes of Dax Shepard and Lex Fridman to other languages, the audio-streaming company said on Monday.

The feature marks the latest attempt by the Swedish company to capitalize on generative artificial intelligence, the technology that has taken the world by storm after the rise of ChatGPT, to tap new users and boost revenue.

The translated versions, powered by Microsoft-backed OpenAI's newly released voice generation technology, would mimic the original speaker's style and will be more natural than traditional dubbing, Spotify said.

The company had also worked with other podcasters including Monica Padman, Bill Simmons and Steven Bartlett for the feature.

The voice translations would be available in languages including Spanish, French and German for a select number of catalog episodes and future episode releases, said Spotify, which could expand the audience of the shows.

Spotify has spent aggressively in the past few years on its podcast business, hoping the higher engagement levels offered by the format will bring in more advertisers.

But that drove up the company's operating expenditure, which surged at twice the speed of its revenue growth last year. Besides, businesses have also been dialing back spending on ads due to rising interest rates and high inflation.

Technology

Huawei Disappoints Viewers by not Discussing Mate 60 Phones at Product Launch

Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei Consumer Business Group, is seen on a screen during the livestreaming of a Huawei launch event at a Huawei flagship store in Beijing, China September 25, 2023. REUTERS/Florence Lo
Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei Consumer Business Group, is seen on a screen during the livestreaming of a Huawei launch event at a Huawei flagship store in Beijing, China September 25, 2023. REUTERS/Florence Lo
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Huawei Disappoints Viewers by not Discussing Mate 60 Phones at Product Launch

Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei Consumer Business Group, is seen on a screen during the livestreaming of a Huawei launch event at a Huawei flagship store in Beijing, China September 25, 2023. REUTERS/Florence Lo
Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei Consumer Business Group, is seen on a screen during the livestreaming of a Huawei launch event at a Huawei flagship store in Beijing, China September 25, 2023. REUTERS/Florence Lo

Huawei Technologies on Monday showcased a series of new products from a gold smartwatch to a smart car but disappointed viewers by not revealing more details about its new Mate 60 smartphone series, prompting an outpouring of complaints online.

The event, held in a stadium and watched by millions online, was expected to see Huawei break its silence on the smartphone, which has been hailed by Chinese state media as a sign the firm had overcome US sanctions that since 2019 has cut its access to advanced chipmaking tools and crippled its smartphone unit, Reuters reported.

The smartphone was launched without any fanfare last month during US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo's visit to China. Some users and analysts who bought the Mate 60 Pro say it uses a Chinese-made chip and is capable of 5G speeds.

Huawei has so far not commented on the full capabilities of the Mate 60 series, which is seen as its first major effort since the sanctions to challenge Apple's dominance in the smartphone market.

Yu Chengdong, CEO of Huawei's consumer business group, however, did nod to the smartphone in his opening remarks when he gave a "special thanks to the whole nation for their tremendous support, especially since the (Mate 60 Pro) Pioneer Program was launched".

As Yu spoke, members of the audience chanted "far, far ahead" - a phrase that has gone viral on Chinese social media since the Mate 60 Pro's launch as a take on Huawei's competitiveness.

"Our products have been well-received and trusted by everyone after hitting the market. We are working overtime urgently to manufacture more so that more people can buy our products," Yu said.

But as the two hour-long event progressed, commentators on the livestream began asking when Yu would talk about Mate 60 as he presented a series of new products ranging from a tablet product to a ultra, high-end brand called 'Ultimate Design'.

By Monday afternoon, after the event ended, the topic "Huawei's press conference did not mention smartphones" began trending on the Weibo social media platform and was among the top ten most read hashtags with more than 8 million views.

"Why didn't they talk about it? Everyone watched it because of the smartphone," one Weibo user Maniler said.

The event ended with a group of people on stage waving Mate 60 smartphones with flashlights switched on, as they sang "Glorious Years", a Cantopop hit by Hong Kong rock band Beyond whose lyrics speak to the struggles Nelson Mandela faced in South Africa.

Another Weibo user said such an ending, combined with the lack of discussion of the smartphone, left him baffled.

"What kind of move is this?" he said.

Huawei did not immediately respond to a request for comment on its decision to not discuss the Mate 60 Pro during the event and on the social media reaction.

Technology

OpenAI CEO Says Possible to Get Regulation Wrong, but Should Not Fear it

FILE PHOTO: A keyboard is placed in front of a displayed OpenAI logo in this illustration taken February 21, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A keyboard is placed in front of a displayed OpenAI logo in this illustration taken February 21, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo/File Photo
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OpenAI CEO Says Possible to Get Regulation Wrong, but Should Not Fear it

FILE PHOTO: A keyboard is placed in front of a displayed OpenAI logo in this illustration taken February 21, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A keyboard is placed in front of a displayed OpenAI logo in this illustration taken February 21, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo/File Photo

The CEO of ChatGPT maker OpenAI said on Monday that it was possible to get regulation wrong but it is important and should not be feared, amid global concerns about rapid advances in artificial intelligence, or AI.

Many countries are planning AI regulation, and Britain is hosting a global AI safety summit in November, focusing on understanding the risks posed by the frontier technology and how national and international frameworks could be supported.
Sam Altman, CEO and the public face of the startup OpenAI, backed by Microsoft Corp, said during a visit to Taipei that although he was not that worried about government over-regulation, it could happen.
"I also worry about under-regulation. People in our industry bash regulation a lot. We've been calling for regulation, but only of the most powerful systems," he said.
"Models that are like 10,000 times the power of GPT4, models that are like as smart as human civilization, whatever, those probably deserve some regulation," added Altman, speaking at an AI event hosted by the charitable foundation of Terry Gou, the founder of major Apple supplier Foxconn.
According to Reuters, Altman said that in the tech industry there is a "reflexive anti-regulation thing".
"Regulation has been not a pure good, but it's been good in a lot of ways. I don't want to have to make an opinion about every time I step on an airplane how safe it's going to be, but I trust that they're pretty safe and I think regulation has been a positive good there," he said.
"It is possible to get regulation wrong, but I don't think we sit around and fear it. In fact we think some version of it is important."

Technology

Hi, Robot: Machines Take over at China's Asian Games

A robot dog walks down a pedestrian bridge in the Asian Games host city Hangzhou. Philip FONG / AFP
A robot dog walks down a pedestrian bridge in the Asian Games host city Hangzhou. Philip FONG / AFP
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Hi, Robot: Machines Take over at China's Asian Games

A robot dog walks down a pedestrian bridge in the Asian Games host city Hangzhou. Philip FONG / AFP
A robot dog walks down a pedestrian bridge in the Asian Games host city Hangzhou. Philip FONG / AFP

From autonomous bug zappers to android pianists and driverless ice-cream trucks, machines rule the world -- at least at China's Asian Games.

The Games open Saturday after a one-year delay because of Covid with about 12,000 athletes and thousands of journalists, technical officials and spectators descending on Hangzhou.

The city is the unofficial home of China's tech industry and robots and other mind-boggling gadgets are set to serve, amuse visitors, AFP said.

An automated mosquito trapper roams the vast Games Village, zapping the pests after luring them in by mimicking a human's body temperature and breathing.

Robot "dogs" that can run, jump and flip over patrol power-supply facilities. Smaller versions dance while a bright-yellow android plays the piano.

Driverless mini buses are set to shuttle visitors through the nearby city of Shaoxing, where baseball and softball venues are located.

Athletes can put their reflexes to the test against a table-tennis playing "Pongbot".

At the massive media center, a blushing plastic-and-metal receptionist with a number pad and card slots built into its torso greets customers at a makeshift bank.

Even venues were built with the help of construction robots which organizers say are "very cute, with unique skills".

Summing up how keen China is to push the theme at the Games, the mascots are three humanoid robots -- Congcong, Lianlian and Chenchen, whose smiling faces adorn massive signs across Hangzhou and other nearby host cities.

Dog meets 'dog'
Hangzhou, a city of 12 million people in China's east, has built up a reputation as a home for tech startups.

That includes a thriving robotics sector eager to close the gap on industry-leading rivals in countries such as the United States and Japan.

At a business park, staff from DEEP Robotics put some of their most advanced models through their paces, commanding one four-legged bot to walk through construction rubble and sending another up a nearby pedestrian bridge slick with rain.

At one point, a real dog turns up and sniffs its robotic equivalent curiously.

Elsewhere, office workers pick up lunch from vending machines that can steam the food and, according to maker Kuaie Fresh, check the temperature so the meal is just right.

The machine also collects data on customer preferences.

In some countries, that would give rise to concerns about where their personal information is going and how it will be used.

But at least one customer was impressed.

"Its cooking skills are better than most people who don't know how to cook," said Hu, 29.

A global race to push the limits of artificial intelligence brought AI-enabled humanoid robots to a UN summit in July, where they claimed they could eventually run society better than humans.

And industrial robots have raised fears around the world that machines could make millions of jobs obsolete.

"I wouldn't say that robots will replace humans, but rather they are a tool, and they will help humans," Qian Xiaoyu, a DEEP Robotics executive, told AFP.

A temperature-taking robot had been lined up to take people's temperatures and report if they showed signs of a fever.

It can also remind visitors to wear a mask.

But the gadget will probably remain in its toolbox after China's ruling Communist Party abruptly lifted its draconian zero-Covid policy late last year.

Technology

Britain Uses UN Speech to Show it Wants to Be a Leader on How World Handles AI

British Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden addresses world leaders during the United Nations (UN) General Assembly on September 22, 2023, in New York City. (Getty Images via AFP)
British Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden addresses world leaders during the United Nations (UN) General Assembly on September 22, 2023, in New York City. (Getty Images via AFP)
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Britain Uses UN Speech to Show it Wants to Be a Leader on How World Handles AI

British Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden addresses world leaders during the United Nations (UN) General Assembly on September 22, 2023, in New York City. (Getty Images via AFP)
British Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden addresses world leaders during the United Nations (UN) General Assembly on September 22, 2023, in New York City. (Getty Images via AFP)

Britain pitched itself to the world Friday as a ready leader in shaping an international response to the rise of artificial intelligence, with Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden telling the UN General Assembly his country was “determined to be in the vanguard.”

Touting the United Kingdom's tech companies, its universities and even Industrial Revolution-era innovations, he said the nation has “the grounding to make AI a success and make it safe.” He went on to suggest that a British AI task force, which is working on methods for assessing AI systems' vulnerability, could develop expertise to offer internationally.

His remarks at the assembly's annual meeting of world leaders previewed an AI safety summit that British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is convening in November. Dowden's speech also came as other countries and multinational groups — including the European Union, the bloc that Britain left in 2020 — are making moves on artificial intelligence.

The EU this year passed pioneering regulations that set requirements and controls based on the level of risk that any given AI system poses, from low (such as spam filters) to unacceptable (for example, an interactive, children's toy that talks up dangerous activities).

The UN, meanwhile, is pulling together an advisory board to make recommendations on structuring international rules for artificial intelligence. Members will be appointed this month, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the General Assembly on Tuesday; the group's first take on a report is due by the end of the year.

Major US tech companies have acknowledged a need for AI regulations, though their ideas on the particulars vary. And in Europe, a roster of big companies such as French jetmaker Airbus signed an open letter to urging the EU to reconsider its rules, saying it would put European companies at a disadvantage.

“The starting gun has been fired on a globally competitive race in which individual companies as well as countries will strive to push the boundaries as far and fast as possible," Dowden said. He argued that “the most important actions we will take will be international.”

Listing hoped-for benefits — such improving disease detection and productivity — alongside artificial intelligence's potential to wreak havoc with deepfakes, cyberattacks and more, Dowden urged leaders not to get “trapped in debates about whether AI is a tool for good or a tool for ill.”

"It will be a tool for both,” he said.

It's “exciting. Daunting. Inexorable,” Dowden said, and the technology will test the international community “to show that it can work together on a question that will help to define the fate of humanity.”

Technology

EU Hits Intel With $400 Million Antitrust Fine in Long-Running Computer Chip Case 

01 September 2022, Berlin: Intel logo seen at the IFA electronics trade show. (dpa)
01 September 2022, Berlin: Intel logo seen at the IFA electronics trade show. (dpa)
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EU Hits Intel With $400 Million Antitrust Fine in Long-Running Computer Chip Case 

01 September 2022, Berlin: Intel logo seen at the IFA electronics trade show. (dpa)
01 September 2022, Berlin: Intel logo seen at the IFA electronics trade show. (dpa)

European Union antitrust enforcers slapped Intel on Friday with a fresh $400 million fine in a long-running legal fight that the chipmaker appeared to have won last year.

The European Commission imposed the 376.4-million-euro fine after a court threw out an original 1.06-billion-euro penalty issued in 2009 over allegations that the Santa Clara, California-based company used illegal sales tactics to shut out smaller rival AMD.

The commission, the 27-nation bloc's top antitrust watchdog, accused Intel of abusing its dominant position in the global market for x86 microprocessors with a strategy to exclude rivals by using rebates and sales restrictions.

The EU’s General Court last year annulled the original decision, saying that the commission's analysis of the rebates didn't meet legal standards.

However, the court confirmed that the sales restrictions amounted to an abuse of Intel's dominant market position. It couldn't decide how the total fine could be divided up between the two offenses, leaving the commission to come up with a new number.

“The lower fine imposed by today’s decision reflects the narrower scope of the infringement compared to the 2009 Commission decision,” the EU watchdog said.

Intel's European press team didn't respond immediately to an email seeking comment.

Technology

Apple Workers in France Stage Strike Over Work Conditions on iPhone 15 Launch Day 

Apple France workers on strike gather in front of the Apple Store near Place de l'Opera during a protest to demand higher pay and better benefits on the day Apple launches its iPhone 15, in Paris, France, September 22, 2023. (Reuters)
Apple France workers on strike gather in front of the Apple Store near Place de l'Opera during a protest to demand higher pay and better benefits on the day Apple launches its iPhone 15, in Paris, France, September 22, 2023. (Reuters)
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Apple Workers in France Stage Strike Over Work Conditions on iPhone 15 Launch Day 

Apple France workers on strike gather in front of the Apple Store near Place de l'Opera during a protest to demand higher pay and better benefits on the day Apple launches its iPhone 15, in Paris, France, September 22, 2023. (Reuters)
Apple France workers on strike gather in front of the Apple Store near Place de l'Opera during a protest to demand higher pay and better benefits on the day Apple launches its iPhone 15, in Paris, France, September 22, 2023. (Reuters)

Workers at Apple stores in France began a nationwide strike over pay and working conditions on Friday in a protest designed to coincide with the launch of the iPhone 15.

It is the latest headache for the tech giant in France after it was forced to stop selling its iPhone 12 model earlier this month for above-threshold radiation. Apple disputes the findings of the French watchdog.

About 30 staff were picketing outside the company's store in Opera in central Paris, one of three in the French capital, a few meters away from a line of about 40 customers waiting in the rain to enter the shop.

"We are still the people who make Apple's wealth, and therefore I think that we deserve a little more honorable treatment than what we are given today," said Anais Durel, a 36-year-old who has worked for Apple for 10 years.

Apple unions including CGT, Unsa, CFDT and Cidre-CFTC, which also plan to strike on Saturday, have asked for a 7% wage increase to compensate for inflation, and an end to a months-long hiring freeze. Management did not want to offer more than a 4.5% hike, union officials said.

"Inflation is still quite nasty. There are a lot of employees who are experiencing difficulties," said Tarek, a CGT union leader who declined to give his last name.

"The goal is not at all to block sales of the iPhone, the goal is really to bring awareness to this situation," he added.

Staff at an Apple store in Barcelona, where about 250 people were queuing to enter the store on Friday morning, were set to join colleagues in France in protesting against working conditions.

About 20 workers will set up an information picket outside the store on Paseo de Gracia in central Barcelona at midday, Pablo Paredes, leader of the CNT Apple union, told Reuters.

Paredes said the workers aim to highlight poor working conditions including contracts which do not compensate them for working at weekends or at night.

CNT is a minority union and only active in one of Barcelona's two stores. The union has not yet managed to secure a meeting with the company to lodge its complaints, Paredes said.

"We have been talking since August to our colleagues on strike in France. In Spain, unlike them, not all the unions have agreed to strike," Paredes said.

Technology

Apple’s Flagship Shanghai Store Buzzes as iPhone 15 Goes on Sale 

People line up to purchase newly-launched iPhone 15 mobile phones at an Apple store in Hangzhou, in China's eastern Zhejiang province on September 22, 2023. (AFP)
People line up to purchase newly-launched iPhone 15 mobile phones at an Apple store in Hangzhou, in China's eastern Zhejiang province on September 22, 2023. (AFP)
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Apple’s Flagship Shanghai Store Buzzes as iPhone 15 Goes on Sale 

People line up to purchase newly-launched iPhone 15 mobile phones at an Apple store in Hangzhou, in China's eastern Zhejiang province on September 22, 2023. (AFP)
People line up to purchase newly-launched iPhone 15 mobile phones at an Apple store in Hangzhou, in China's eastern Zhejiang province on September 22, 2023. (AFP)

Over a hundred customers queued inside Apple's flagship store in the Chinese financial hub of Shanghai on Friday, waiting to pick up their iPhone 15 orders on the first day of in-store availability.

How Apple's latest iPhone sells in China is under close scrutiny by fans and market watchers alike, after widening curbs on iPhone use by government staff and the release of a high-end rival from domestic manufacturer Huawei sparked concern about demand for the device in its third-largest market.

But the strength of pre-orders in the world's second-largest economy, which began last Friday, has eased worries, with delivery times pushed into November and the premium iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max selling out in just one minute on Alibaba's Tmall e-commerce site.

Local media reported the queue at the store on Shanghai's East Nanjing road shopping belt started forming at 5 a.m. (1000 GMT).

Among those at the store was social media influencer Zhang Ming, 25, who said she wanted to try out the iPhone 15 after being unsuccessful in pre-ordering online.

"I always like to look (at the new devices). When I buy Apple products I only look at the color. If I like the color I will buy it," she said.

The iPhone 15 includes a new titanium shell, a faster chip and improved videogame-playing abilities. Apple also surprised by not raising prices, reflecting the global smartphone slump.

But some customers at the store lamented the lack of significant upgrades from the previous model. Real estate worker Wang Puyu, 29, said he was only purchasing a new model because he had promised to give his iPhone 14 to his nephew.

"I normally upgrade every year. But this year, I am not very satisfied."