Around the world, a muted launch for Apple's iPhone 8

The weak turnout for the latest iPhone has partly been due to poor reviews.

SAN FRANCISCO/SYDNEY/TOKYO: Apple Inc's launch of the iPhone 8 kicked off with less fanfare on Friday than new models in previous years in the United States, Asia, Australia and Britain, as fans held out for the premium iPhone X, due out in early November. 

In San Francisco's Union Square, 50 miles from Apple's Cupertino headquarters, just 80 people were lined up at the company's flagship store, a sharp contrast to years past when lines stretched for blocks when new products were released.