Thousands of Mac geeks and gadget fans alike are queuing at Apple and AT&T stores across the United States. Their aim: to be among the lucky few who get an iPhone on its first day of sale.
We aim to bring you regular updates over the next few hours, with a little help from our sister site MacLife , so back often. Don't forget to refresh this page in your web browser for the latest news
2:24am - That's it from us
Please head over to our sister site MacLife to find out how things are progressing in San Francisco.
2am - US Apple online Store is back
Check out the iPhone goodness ... and then feel sad because you can't buy one here.
1:12am - Reader.mac.com is live
Mystery RSS reader app is now working... but only on the iPhone.
1:06am - iPhone gets busted wide open
ifixit.com has got an iPhone and is busily taking it to pieces to see what's inside .
1:04am - Apple posts iPhone user manual
The PDF document is now available for download from Apple's dedicated iPhone support site .
12:51am - Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak queues for iPhone
The man who co-founded Apple with Steve Jobs in 1976 apparently turned down an offer of VIP status while buying his iPhone. Instead Woz , who left Apple in 1987, queued with everyone else. Engadget just has posted a video interview with the computing pioneer.
12: 34am - The US Apple Store is still down
Still over an hour to go before it comes back online...
12:30am - New York City store report
The New York Times (NYT) has just published its take on the Apple iPhone launch and how it's progressing so far. It says:
"Apple wanted a spectacle when the iPhone went on sale this evening, and it got just that.
Customers eager to be among the first to buy the long-awaited cellphone waited in long lines in front of Apple stores in New York and other cities. Some had camped out there for several days. Shorter lines were seen at AT&T stores, which also carry the phone."
The article quotes one lucky shopper who said he needn't have queued for an iPhone at all:
"I guess I didn't need to get in line because they have thousands of them in there. But for me it was a fun thing," 52-year-old Norbert Pauli told NYT's reporter.
The paper reports that even one overseas gadgeteer has snapped up an iPhone even though it may not work in their home country. Strange scenes indeed.
12:23am - California Mac fans prepare for Apple Store opening
Some US citizens may already be happy owners of iPhones, but others still have another couple of hours to wait. This is true in Sherman Oaks, California where The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) reports:
"The store has officially closed for the time being (until 6pm, of course) and they have put up black material covering the windows. Its all very theatrical and adds to the element of excitement.
"The line is now up to more like two hundred but I've also heard reports from other Los Angeles area stores like the Glendale Galleria, that the lines are stretching all the way outside and winding through the parking structure.
"I feel bad for those people and a little better about my 95th place in line -- at least according to the last count conducted by mall security."
12: 21am - More iPhone unboxing
This time Gizmodo is on the case. Watch the unboxing live.
12:08pm - Now the iPhone's real test begins
The hype is over, the iPhone is on sale and now the real test begins for Apple, says CNN Money .
It's also reporting live from Apple's New York City store saying:
"Apple store employees made a line just inside the front door and clapped for customers entering and leaving the store.
"The mood was much like a rock concert, with people screaming and pumping their fists, and camera flashes going off.
"'The guys inside made me feel like a celebrity,' said Antonia Leite. 'I've been waiting in line forever.'
