Tech

Apple's iPhone 5 Launches Across the World

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Cadie Thompson@CadieThompson
WATCH LIVE

The iPhone 5 Craze

Apple fans wasted no time getting their hand on the new iPhone 5 Friday. Consumers lined up at Apple stores across the world, in cities including Sydney, Honk Kong, Tokyo and Singapore. The new iPhone 5 also went on sale in the U.S. and Canada and will launch in 22 more countries a week later. Apple received two million pre-orders for the iPhone 5 during its first 24 hours available online and the company is expected to sell a record number of iPhone 5 units during its first weekend available in
Photo: Christof Stache | AFP | Getty Images

Apple fans wasted no time getting their hand on the new iPhone 5 on the first day of sales.

Consumers on Friday lined up at Apple stores in cities across the world, including New York, Paris, London, Sydney, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Singapore.

And they continued to make purchases over the weekend, buying up the initial supply, The iPhone 5 will soon be available in 22 more countries.

Devotees stood in long lines on Friday despite a lukewarm welcome from experts and complaints about the smartphone's new mapping system.

Apple received 2 million pre-orders for the iPhone 5 during its first 24 hours available online. By Monday, it said, more than 5 million had been sold, surpassing the 4 million iPhone 4s sold on its first weekend.

Click ahead for scenes from the craze surrounding the launch of Apple's newest iPhone.

By Cadie Thompson
Updated 24 Sept 2012

Tokyo

A customer in an iPhone costume stands in line to purchase an iPhone 5 outside the Apple Store Ginza in Tokyo, Japan, on September 21.
Photo: Kiyoshi Ota | Bloomberg | Getty Images

A customer in an iPhone costume stands in line to purchase an iPhone 5 outside the Apple Store Ginza in Tokyo.

iPhone 5 in Tokyo

A customer reacts after purchasing Apple's new iPhone 5 smartphone at the Softbank mobile phone shop in Tokyo.
Photo: Yoshikazu Tsuno | AFP | Getty Images

A customer reacts after purchasing Apple's new iPhone 5 smartphone at the Softbank mobile phone shop in Tokyo.

Sydney

Apple employees cheer as the doors open at the company's store on George Street in Sydney, Australia, on Friday. Australia was one of the first countries in the world to offer the phone for sale. Gadget lovers in the country were among the first to get their hands on the new generation iPhone 5, with the lines snaking around Apple's flagship store, suggesting strong demand.
Photo: Ian Waldie | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Employees cheer as the doors open at the Apple store on George Street in Sydney on Friday. Australia was one of the first countries to offer the phone for sale. Gadget lovers snaked around the flagship store.

Demonstrators in Sydney

A handful of demonstrators staged a separate line to highlight the 'folly of consumerism' as Apple start to sell their new iPhone 5 from their flagship store in Sydney, which was one of the first countries in the world to offer the phone for sale.
Photo: William West | AFP | Getty Images

A handful of demonstrators staged a separate line to highlight the "folly of consumerism" as Apple started to sell its new iPhone 5 in Sydney.

Paris

A customer reacts after purchasing a new iPhone 5 inside the Opera Apple store in Paris, France.
Photo: Balint Porneczi | Bloomberg | Getty Images

A customer reacts after purchasing a new iPhone 5 inside the Opera Apple store in Paris.

New York

A customer exits the Apple store on Fifth Avenue after purchasing his new iPhone 5 on Friday in New York. Apple's iPhone 5 hit stores around the world on Friday, with long lines of devotees undeterred by a lukewarm welcome from experts and complaints about the smartphone's new mapping system.
Photo: Don Emmert | AFP | Getty Images

A customer leaves the Apple store on New York's Fifth Avenue after his purchase.

Lines in New York

Customers line up outside the Apple store on 5th Avenue awaiting the arrival of the new iPhone 5 on September 17 in New York. Apple said Monday that it received more than two million orders for its new iPhone 5 in 24 hours, and that many deliveries would be pushed back into October because of strong demand. 'iPhone 5 pre-orders have shattered the previous record held by iPhone 4S and the customer response to iPhone 5 has been phenomenal,' said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of wo
Photo: Don Emmert | AFP | Getty Images

Four days before the phones went on sale, customers at the Apple store on Fifth Avenue awaited its arrival. Apple said it received more than 2 million orders for in 24 hours, and that many deliveries would be pushed back into October because of strong demand. "IPhone 5 pre-orders have shattered the previous record held by iPhone 4S and the customer response to iPhone 5 has been phenomenal," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing.

Munich

Customers line up to enter the Apple Store in the southern German city of Munich on Friday as the iPhone 5 goes on sale.
Photo: Christof Stach | AFP | Getty Images

Customers line up in Munich on Friday.

First in London

At the Apple store in Covent Garden, London, Ryan Williams 22, of Kent, was first in line and is cheered by Apple employees as he is the first to purchase the iPhone 5. Mr Williams hopes to raise money for Cancer Research UK by auctioning the phone, and has been waiting in line for nearly a week.
Photo: Dan Kitwook | Getty Images

In Covent Garden, London, first-in-line Ryan Williams, 22, of Kent, is cheered by Apple employees as he becomes the first to purchase the iPhone 5. Williams, who hopes to raise money for Cancer Research UK by auctioning the phone, had been waiting in line for nearly a week.

Union Protests in Paris

Employees of Apple Premium Reseller, ICLG demonstrate in front of Paris Opera Apple store, on Friday in Paris. French Sud trade union called a strike today, as they are negotiating to improve working conditions.
Photo: Martin Bureau | AFP | Getty Images

Employees of Apple Premium Reseller ICLG demonstrate in front of the Paris Opera Apple store on Friday. The French Sud trade union said about 100 workers took part in a strike to protest working conditions.