New York City Apple fans have been fooled into thinking a new pop-up store was built in a subway station for the iPhone X launch.

YouTube prank channel Improv Everywhere built and placed five white Apple logos around the 23 Street Subway Station and dressed a dozen actors in fake Apple employee shirts. A further 50 actors were invited to form part of a fake queue.

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People unaware of the trick joined the queue hoping to grab the elusive iPhone X. The fake employees did tell the "buyers" that there was no chance there would be "stock" left, but the people chose to stay "just in case".

The lift down to the station has a glass design that resembles Apple's flagship store on Fifth Avenue. The few people who did venture down were met by someone handing out Apple bags with empty iPhone X boxes.

"There were definitely some sceptics," Improv Everywhere said on its website. "But more people than we expected took it at face value. I mean, I guess it's more believable that Apple was taking over a subway station than to believe that 60 people got together to fake it."

Elsewhere, real stores were inundated by lengthy queues (which were notably absent at the launch of iPhone 8).

Apple employees built up the excitement and led a countdown outside some of their stores.

But many fans were still struggling to justify the iPhone X's new £999 price tag.

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