The wait is finally over for many diehard Apple fans this morning as the new iPhone finally went on sale.Apple aficionados around the world have been queuing outside stores since Monday to ensure they become the first to get their hands on the new gadget.
But, much like New Year, global times differences meant customers in Australia were the first to celebrate their purchase of the new handset.
At 8am, hundreds of people streamed through the doors of Apple's flagship Regent Street store in London to get their hands on the device.
Noah Green, 17, was the first in the queue, having only left his vigil to shower at a nearby gym since setting up camp outside the store at 4pm on Monday.
A large queue formed outside the Apple store in
Covent Garden, London as fans waited in line to buy the two new iPhones.
Barriers were used to keep the crowd away from commuters in the busy
area of the capital
Apple fans outside the tech giant's UK flagship
store on Regent Street in London. Many customers had been queuing since
Monday and made makeshift tents and camps in order to be among the first
to get their hands on the new handsets
Despite the demand and frenzy in other parts of
the UK, the Apple store at the Liverpool ONE shopping centre, pictured,
had fewer customers than expected turn up to buy the newly launched
iPhone 5C and 5S
NETWORKS LEFT 'FRUSTRATED' BY IPHONE 5S SHORTAGES
The BBC has discovered network operators in the UK are in short supply of the latest iPhone 5S.
Several networks said stock 'was severely limited in the UK', and feared many customers would be disappointed.
Although pre-orders for the 5C model began on 13 September, Apple did not allow the 5S to be reserved in advance.
An unidentified network spokesman told the BBC they had been sent 'crates and crates' of the 5C, but were being 'drip fed' the more expensive 5S.
O2 is only selling the phones online, although customers can test demo models in stores.
A spokesman said this is the first time O2 has had to put its stock completely online because of the shortage.
Vodafone admitted not all of its stores across the country would have the phone on the day of launch.
Several networks said stock 'was severely limited in the UK', and feared many customers would be disappointed.
Although pre-orders for the 5C model began on 13 September, Apple did not allow the 5S to be reserved in advance.
An unidentified network spokesman told the BBC they had been sent 'crates and crates' of the 5C, but were being 'drip fed' the more expensive 5S.
O2 is only selling the phones online, although customers can test demo models in stores.
A spokesman said this is the first time O2 has had to put its stock completely online because of the shortage.
Vodafone admitted not all of its stores across the country would have the phone on the day of launch.
'I'm the first in the United Kingdom and I have the best phone.'
The teenager said he turned down offers of up to £5,000 for his prime spot in the queue, saying he would only consider giving up his place for £10,000.
Serial queuer Green was one of seven huddled together outside the front on the store and said about his fellow Apple fans: 'We all know each other from previous years and launches.
'This is my eighth launch, I've been here for new phones and iPads and pretty much always been in the top ten of the queue.'
Last year, Green sold his spot at the head of the line for the latest iPad for £300.
Today's launch was being used as a marketing opportunity for other companies, with representatives from insurance firms selling cover, coffee shops providing tea and coffee and pizza chains feeding the crowds.
Green said: 'We have been brought food and drinks, even clothing. It's helped to pass the time chilling out. It's been fun but I want my new phone now.'
Compare and contrast: An employee shows the the
backside of a new Apple iPhone 5C, right, and iPhone 5S, left, at a
Verizon store in Orem, Utah
Members of pop group the Saturdays including Una
Healy, left, Vanessa White, centre, and Rochelle Humes, right, pose at
the launch of Apple's new iPhone 5S and 5C at Phones4U in Oxford Street,
London
Apple's previous launches have seen people pay a huge premium outside the store on phones bought by the early birds on their way out, but this year Noah said he would be keeping one for himself and selling the other to a friend.
According to gadget insurer Protect Your Bubble who surveyed the London queue, 93 per cent of fans were waiting for the high-end iPhone 5S model.
While 56 per cent of customers didn't think the iPhone 5C was good value for money.
One customer from Essex who was 2,700th in the Regent Street queue admitted he sold his iPhone 5 for £350 to cover the cost of the iPhone 5S.
Queues began forming in the early hours of the morning outside the Apple Store in Newcastle's Eldon Square, pictured
Shoppers in Glasgow city centre queued round the
block on Buchanan Street, pictured for the launch of the new Apple
iPhone 5S and 5C. Elewhere, the Intu Braehead shopping centre near
Glasgow opened up especially for the new iPhone launch
Rows of Apple iPhone 5C smartphones await
customers at the Apple Store in Berlin. Hundreds of customers waited
outside the German store in the rain to be among the first to buy the
new phones
Fans across the country were given tickets in
order to guarantee the particular models. One Apple customer at the
Bullring shopping centre in Birmingham shows his tickets, pictured,
which have reserved him two iPhone 5S models with 16GB and 64GB storage
Brother and sister Olly and Charlotte McIlroy, from Bexleyheath, spent more than £2,000 on four handsets for their family. The pair joined the queue on Thursday night.
The London queue snaked around a packed Regent's Park, with several people carrying tents and energy drinks as they made their way towards the store from 8am.
Models of the iPhone 5S were selling on eBay on Friday morning for £1,220 - £500 more than the handset retails at - while iPhone 5C handsets were available on the auction site from around £675.
Stocks of the iPhone 5S sold out by 7.50am UK time at the Apple store in Cardiff. Customers were given tickets with some arriving as early as 1am at the Welsh shopping centre in the hope of getting the new iPhone 5S or 5C.
TESTS FIND THE IPHONE 5S TO BE 'ALMOST INDESTRUCTIBLE'
The very first iPhone 5S sold
in the UK was dropped 6ft onto the pavement in a breakability test - and
found to be 'almost indestructible'.
The
Phone Terminator machine, which tests the breakability of gadgets, was
put into action by bosses at SquareTrade phone insurance firm.SquareTrade's Phone Terminator has been used previously to test the durability of handsets such as the Samsung Galaxy S4, its predecessor the S3 and the iPhone 5.
The machine gives each handset a breakability score after putting them through a series of tests including dropping them and submerging them in water.
Current breakability scores
Stocks of Apple's new iPhone 5S sold out by
7.50am at the Apple store in Cardiff, pictured. Customers were given
tickets with some arriving as early as 1am at the Welsh shopping centre
in the hope of getting the new iPhone 5S or 5C
Customers were cheered on and high-fived by Apple staff as they enter the Covent Garden store in London
The 33-year-old forked out $2,000 (£1,170) Australian dollars for two new iPhone 5S - one for himself and one for his mother in Indonesia.
He told the Daily Telegraph: 'I won't be sending it to her until the next Chinese New Year, next January. I've been queuing up since 12pm, but I don't mind.'iPhone 5S
The 16GB handset will cost £549 up to £709 for 64GB.
4-inch Retina display.
Three colours: gold, silver and slate.
A7 chip is twice as fast as the iPhone 5.
Built-in fingerprint scanner with Touch ID unlocks the phone and can be used for purchases.
Dual-flash LED camera with 28-megapixel panoramic photos.
The iPhone 5S has 10 hours of talk time and 250 hours of standby.
4-inch Retina display.
Three colours: gold, silver and slate.
A7 chip is twice as fast as the iPhone 5.
Built-in fingerprint scanner with Touch ID unlocks the phone and can be used for purchases.
Dual-flash LED camera with 28-megapixel panoramic photos.
The iPhone 5S has 10 hours of talk time and 250 hours of standby.
Fans of the iPhone 5S had been camping outside Apple's flagship Fifth Avenue store in New York City and London's Regent Street store since Monday.
Some erected makeshift tents while others brought rugs and sleeping bags.
Jesse Green from London jumps as he leaves with
his iPhone 5S after being the second person to enter the Apple store in
Covent Garden
Worth the wait: Hundreds of people line up outside an Apple store in Sydney, Australia, to purchase the new iPhone
Jumping for joy: Jimmy Gunawan shows off his two
new iPhone after being the first person to purchase the newly released
iPhone 5s at 8am in Sydney, Australia
But despite the discomfort of camping on the streets, many admit they would be willing to sell their prime spots in the queue for the right price.
Some believe they will be able to demand four figure sums to give up their place as the iPhone 5S - the more expensive of the two new models being released - was not made available for pre-order.
THE MAJOR NETWORK'S LOWEST IPHONE 5C MONTHLY DEALS AT A GLANCE*
| Network operator | Monthly Cost | Phone Cost | 4G-ready? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4GEE | £26 | £189.99 | Yes |
| O2 | £32 | £29.99 | Yes - although not at launch |
| Orange | £32 | £69.99 | No |
| T-Mobile | £32 | £89.99 | No |
| Three | £37 | £49 | Yes - from December |
| Vodafone | £29 | £249 | No |
| Vodafone Red | £42 | £19 | Yes |
Marketing manager for Intu Braehead, Lydia Brown said: 'We normally close at 9pm on a Thursday. But we re-opened our doors at midnight to let people queue outside the Apple Store in the warmth and comfort of the mall.
'Apple is such an iconic brand and there is always a massive interest in a new version of the iPhone that we are expecting hundreds of people to be waiting for the Apple Store to open at 8am.
Big event: Staff cheer as customers are let into Apple's flagship store in Sydney's central business district this morning
Staggered: As the new iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c
were released at 8am local time around the world, the store in Sydney,
Australia, was the first to start selling them this morning
First in line: The first customer to purchase an
iPhone 5S in Tokyo celebrates as he leaves an Apple store in the city's
Store Ginza shopping district
'We have brought extra staff in to
the mall overnight and I expect the excitement will grow as the Apple
Store opening time comes closer and the customers can be some of the
first in the country to get their hands on the new iPhone.'The iPhone 5S device, said to be twice as fast as its predecessor, sets itself apart from its competitors with its Touch ID feature. This allows users to unlock their phone and purchase apps with the touch of a finger.
The 5S - which comes in gold, silver or 'space' grey - is made of high-grade aluminum.
Customers line up to buy the latest Apple smart
phones outside an Apple Store at Xidan Street in Beijing. It is the
first time Apple has made the handsets available from launch in China as
it attempts to reach emerging markets
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