Apple CEO John Ternus has opened the doors at Apple Fifth Avenue for the first US sales of the iPhone 18 Pro, but the event has also been targeted by protesters.
Apple Fifth Avenue was briefly closed as its famous glass cube was decorated in the new iPhone colors, and it has now been officially opened by CEO John Ternus, head of retail Deirdre O'Brien, and vice president of worldwide marketing, Greg Joswiak.
Before the opening, however, protesters from the child safety group Heat Initiative parked vans with illuminated protest signs on the side. "Apple is powered by child sexual abuse," they allege. "John Ternus – what will you do?"
I'm here at Apple Fifth Avenue for the iPhone 18 Pro launch!It's also 4 AM please send help pic.twitter.com/71dKRZroMt
The protesters appear to have arrived by 4 A.M. Eastern. By the time the store opened at 8 A.M. there were at least six such vans lined up along New York's Fifth Avenue.
As yet, the Heat Initiative group has not issued a statement about the protest. Nor has Apple commented on it.
John Ternus opens the door at Apple 5th Avenue to welcome the iPhone 18 Pro pic.twitter.com/HBp2qqJaBh
Apple Fifth Avenue is an important store for Apple and a landmark in New York. Just as Tim Cook regularly did, new CEO John Ternus chose to officially open the doors at Apple Fifth Avenue to mark the start of sales of the new iPhone 18 Pro.
Just ahead of the opening, Greg Joswiak was seen running through crowds outside the store. From that early reaction, it looks as if Apple will again see the kind of response that Cook got with the iPhone 17 Pro launch back in 2025.
Joz is here at Apple 5th Avenue, and he got lost! pic.twitter.com/oCMZ6Urnqw
As well as now being in Apple Stores, the new iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max models are being delivered to the first pre-order customers.
