Thousands line up for new iPhone

A large crowd stands in a long line early in the morning Thursday, June 24, 2010, in Cherry Hill, N.J., for a chance to buy the new Apple iPhone 4.
A large crowd stands in a long line early in the morning Thursday, June 24, 2010, in Cherry Hill, N.J., for a chance to buy the new Apple iPhone 4.

— Apple Inc.’s newest iPhone was selling briskly Thursday as thousands lined up outside stores around the world to become among the first to own the device amid concerns of supply shortages.

photo

AP

Aaron West of Maple Shade, N.J., was the first customer in line to buy new Apple iPhone 4, at the Apple Store in the Cherry Hill Mall, Thursday, in Cherry Hill, N.J.

The iPhone 4’s launch began in Japan and sold out by early afternoon at the flagship store of Softbank, Apple’s exclusive wireless carrier there. The launch moved across France, Germany and the U.K. before going on sale at 7 a.m. in each time zone in the U.S. Some stores abroad had midnight openings.

More than with past launches, there were worries about limited supplies after more than 600,000 people rushed to pre-order iPhones on the first day they were available, prompting Apple and its exclusive wireless partner in the U.S., AT&T Inc., to stop taking orders for shipment by Thursday’s launch. On Apple’s website, new orders weren’t promised for delivery until July 14.

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