People wait in line outside an Apple store to purchase Apple Inc's iPhone 5 in Tokyo's Ginza districtReuters 
Customers gather outside an Apple store before the release of iPhone 5 in Hong KongReuters 
A security guard looks on as customers gather outside an Apple store before the release of iPhone 5 in Hong KongReuters 
Customers who just bought an iPhone 5 from an Apple store resells the newly released smartphone, to another man in Hong KongReuters 
An iPhone fan waits outside an Apple Store to purchase Apple Inc's iPhone 5 in Tokyo's Ginza districtReuters 
A woman wearing a sleeping bag waits outside an Apple Store as she waits to purchase Apple Inc's iPhone 5 in TokyoReuters 
People queue outside an Apple store as they wait to buy an iPhone 5, in central SydneyReuters 
People look at an Apple iPad as they queue and wait to buy an iPhone 5, outside an Apple store in central SydneyReuters 
People look at their mobile phones as they queue outside an Apple store and wait to buy an iPhone 5, in central SydneyReuters 
People play card games as they queue outside an Apple Store and wait to buy an iPhone 5 in central Sydney.Reuters 
People wait for the release of Apple's new iPhone 5 in front of Apple Store Ginza in TokyoReuters 
Customers wait in line outside the Apple store on 5th Avenue, for Friday's iPhone 5 models to go on sale, in New YorkReuters 
Customers wait in line outside the Apple store on 5th Avenue, for Friday's iPhone 5 models to go on sale, in New YorkReuters
Apple iPhone 5 finally hit the stores on Friday with smartphone lovers making a bee-line outside retail outlets to make a grab for the newly-launched sixth-generation iPhone.
The new iPhone was released on Sept 12 and pre-order bookings were opened a couple of days later. Apple said that iPhone 5 pre-orders topped two million in the first 24 hours, which is more than double the record held by iPhone 4S.
iPhone 5 went on sale first in Australia when a Sydney store was opened at 8 am local time (3:30 PM IST Thursday) for customers who had been queueing outside the store for hours together.
An estimated 600 people queued around the block from the Apple store in central Sydney and customers were limited to buying a maximum of two phones. In a rainy Tokyo, the lines stretched back several blocks, reported Reuters.
[PHOTOS OF FANS QUEUING OUTSIDE APPLE STORES]
Apple iPhone 5 hits the stores in countries like the United Stated, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and the UK on Friday while several countries have to wait till Sept 28 for the smartphone to arrive.
Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster said in a research note that 6-10 million units of iPhone 5 are expected to be sold in the opening weekend. He believes that iPhone 5 will do much better than its predecessor, as the consumer sentiment on the former is higher. He also opined that the feel and weight of the new smartphone will attract more customers.
iPhone 5 will come in either white and silver or black and slate, and will be priced in the US at $199 (US) for the 16GB model and $299 (US) for the 32GB model and $399 (US) for the 64GB model.
The new iPhone comes with iOS 6 with over 200 new features, a 4-inch Retina display, an Apple-designed A6 chip for blazing fast performance, ultrafast wireless technology and an improved battery life.
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