omg...! Apple faithful line up for latest, larger iPhones...

the Apple store on Fifth Avenue in New York, the line of would-be buyers stretched for more than 10 blocks. Apple employees led them in a New Year's Eve-style countdown to herald the store's opening at 8 a.m. EDT and high-fived customers as they entered the glass cube leading to the underground store.

In Atlanta, police were called in before 5:30 a.m. to assist with crowd control at one mall location because of worries about trampling, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

While it has become customary for swarms of people to greet Apple product introductions, Friday's long lines were still a sign of healthy demand for the new models. The phones drew more than 4 million preorder requests in the first 24 hours on Sept. 12, more than double the 2 million for iPhone 5s in the same period two years ago.

The enthusiastic crowds gathered despite signs that Apple's legendary "cool factor" may be dimming with some consumers, according to a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll.

The launch attracted buyers from farther afield. Flavio Gondim, a 40-year-old Brazilian public sector employee, said he was buying an iPhone 6 in New York because "back home these are, maybe, 50 percent more expensive."

In Asia, many who lined up to buy the new phones in Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia said they planned to re-sell the devices in China, where regulatory hurdles are holding up the new phones' debut.