About 100 people were lined up in front of the Apple store at Scottsdale Quarter on Friday morning.
(Photo: Troy Conhain / CBS 5 News) Workers prepared the Apple store at Arrowhead Mall in anticipation for the rush for an iPhone 5.
More than 8 million iPhone 5 smart phones are expected to be sold by the close of business Friday.
The highly-anticipated iPhone 5 is finally in Valley Apple stores, but it might not be there for long.
Hundreds of people lined up outside the Apple store at the Scottsdale Quarter and outside the Apple Store at Arrowhead Mall in Peoria early Friday morning.
People began camping out Thursday night in front of the Scottsdale store and numbered about 100 by 6:30 a.m. Friday. The store was scheduled to open at 8 a.m. Apple store employees refused to disclose the number of iPhone 5s that would be available Friday.
A customer identified only as Nathan was close to the front. An admitted loyal Apple customer, Nathan had his iPad, an older version of the iPhone and also owns a Macbook.
But if customers don't get their hands on the latest smart phone today, they'll have to wait weeks.
Apple has already pushed back the ship date for pre-orders, until October.
Apple's thinnest and fastest iPhone yet has already broken sales records. Pre-orders for the iPhone 5 topped 2 million in just 24 hours and analysts expect the company to sell between 5 million and 8 million of the devices today alone and up to 10 million by Monday. And they warn some stores might have a supply shortage.
CBS 5 Morning Show executive producer Troy Conhain took the morning off to get his new iPhone this morning and was the fourth one in line. Customers first lined up outside the mall and were let in around 5 a.m. to line up in front of the store.
Copyright 2012 CBS 5 (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.