The iPhone 4 has officially launched in the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, and Japan, with customers standing in lengthy lines to get their hands on Apple’s latest handset. iLounge editor Jeremy Horwitz found a substantial group of people waiting to enter the mall and begin queueing outside the Apple Store when he arrived at the Walden Galleria in Buffalo, NY at 5:30 a.m. Our publisher Dennis Lloyd found a similar crowd waiting outside the Apple Store in Costa Mesa, CA, and reports from other cities across the U.S. indicate that most Apple Stores have and/or had impressive crowds awaiting the launch. Notably, the line outside Apple’s flagship 5th Avenue store in New York City—which TUAW describes as longer than the lines for the iPhone 3GS or even the iPad’s launch—wraps around a full city block.
Internationally, the Associated Press is reporting that lines “hundreds” of people long were seen outside stores in nearly every country, including outside Apple’s retail stores in the Ginza shopping district of Tokyo, Japan, Regent Street in the U.K., and outside T-Mobile’s flagship store in Berlin and Softbank’s flagship store in Tokyo. The report also relays the story of a French shoe salesman who went to pick up the iPhone 4 on his lunch break only to learn that they were already sold out. “Either I’ll look elsewhere or come back later,” he said.
Update: Four and a half hours after arriving at the South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, CA, iLounge Publisher Dennis Lloyd has yet to enter the Apple Store due to the lengthy reservation line. For customers still waiting, Apple has been providing free Smart Water, coffee, half sandwiches, lemonade, iced tea, and umbrellas for shade.
