Apple enthusiasts line up early in San Francisco for iPhone 4 release

Apple fans eagerly waited for the release of the iPhone 4 at the Apple Store in San Francisco Wednesday. (Vanessa Guerra/ CALIFORNIA BEAT PHOTO)

After months of anticipation, Apple’s iPhone 4 finally went on sale today, delighting Apple enthusiasts and fans in the Bay Area who eagerly put in pre-orders to bring the new device home.

At the Stockton Street Apple Store in San Francisco, hundreds stood in line — a few camped out for days — for the new iPhone 4.  Some people were selling their spot in line for hundreds of dollars.

The leader of the pack, a young guy named Chris, paid $400 to be the first in line to buy the new iPhone 4.

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Chris said he camped out for three days outside the store for his shot to pick up Apple’s newest product.

The buzz around the new iPhone 4 picked up momentum after gadget blog Gizmodo published photos earlier this year purporting to show a leaked prototype of the phone.

But it didn’t appear to quell excitement from die-hard Apple fans who rushed to place orders for the device when it became available for purchase.

There were more than 600,000 opening day pre-orders, a record setting number for the release of an iPhone.

The iPhone 4 launched in the US, Europe and Japan at 7 a.m. in each time zone. The flagship Apple store in Japan reported that they sold out of the popular product by early afternoon.

The company has said that by the end of September, it will be available in more than 80 countries.

Besides a new sleek design that eliminates the rounded edges and incorporates an edgier rim, it boasts a big hardware upgrade, a higher resolution screen, a five megapixel camera (with flash), a front-facing camera for face to face communication, and longer battery life.

The iPhone 4 costs $199 for the 16 GB model and $299 for the 32 GB version.

It comes in two colors: black and white.  The release of the white version is delayed to late next month because of manufacturing issues.

Contact Vanessa Guerra at vguerra@californiabeat.org.