iPhone 5 mania hits stores in US, Europe and Asia
The line outside the Apple store on Fifth Avenue as the new iPhone 5 is delivered on September 21, 2012 in New York.
NEW YORK – iPhone 5 mania has officially hit stores around the world.
Apple lovers waited on long lines and jammed stores in Asia, Europe and the US to get their hands on the latest iPhone on Friday.
In New York, there were lines around the block at the company's flagship Manhattan store on Fifth Avenue, reports CBS Station WCBS.
Uptown, Apple employees handed out early morning cups of coffee to hundreds of eager New Yorkers like David Lopez, and his 17-year-old son David, who had been waiting since Wednesday afternoon for the smartphone, USA TODAY reported.
In London, some people camped out for a week. Hong Kongers, the first to get the phone because of the time difference, were greeted by high-fives and shouts "iPhone 5! iPhone 5!" as Apple staffers greeted them inside, CBS News reported.
So, what's the verdict?
Roman Wunderlich, 27, a technology entrepreneur, told GlobalPost “I had mixed feelings about the [new] iPhone… but the first thing I noticed was it’s thinner, it’s so light, when it’s in your hands, you notice they really made an improvement."
Wunderlich, who picked up the iPhone 5 at Apple's Boston store this morning said "It sounds kinda silly… but when you're surfing the web, it’s like you’re at home on your computer. The apps are the same but what really was impressive is the speed at which it works."
Silas Dunham, 24, a graphic designer in Cambridge, Massachusetts waited in line for about 45 minutes for his first ever iPhone.
“I've been a BlackBerry guy for the last six years," Dunham said.
More from GlobalPost: Blackberry outage in Europe, coincides with iPhone 5 release
"It’s a nice upgrade," he laughed. "My phone stopped ringing about six months ago so it’s nice to have a phone that has a ringer again."
And Dunham isn't the only BlackBerry user to feel frustrated. Friday's iPhone mania comes on the very day BlackBerry customers in Europe and Africa experienced yet another service outage.
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