Christmas comes early for Apple lovers, new iPhone released

(Watch above: Today was the release day for the iPhone 6. As Erin Chalmers found out, the global frenzy stretched all the way to our city.)

EDMONTON – Hundreds of people lined up outside Southgate Mall’s Apple store Friday morning in hopes of being one of the first to buy the new iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus.

Lu Li was first in line. He claimed his spot at 10 a.m. Thursday, waiting nearly 24 hours until the doors opened at 8 a.m. Friday

“The iPhone 6 is much better. It has a bigger screen, and the quality is better. It’s thinner. Everything is just nicer,” he explained.

By 6 a.m. Friday, the line-up at Southgate extended into the parking lot.

“Yesterday, when I got here there was nobody here, so I was thinking ‘Ah, maybe I should go you know,’ but I decided to stay here. I think it was the right decision,” said Li.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Yesterday, when I got here there was nobody here, so I was thinking 'Ah, maybe I should go you know,' but I decided to stay here. I think it was the right decision," said Li.

It’s the first time Apple has debuted two iPhones with different screen sizes: the iPhone 6 with a 4.7-inch screen and the larger version, the iPhone 6 Plus, with a 5.5-inch screen.

Some kept a good sense of humour about the long wait, which didn’t guarantee they would be able to buy one of the two new models.

“I just got here, and, you know, it’s okay. If I don’t get an iPhone, at least I’ll be able to get into Cinnzeo have a cinnamon bun or something like that,” joked Shannon Routley.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I just got here, and, you know, it's okay. If I don't get an iPhone, at least I'll be able to get into Cinnzeo have a cinnamon bun or something like that," joked Shannon Routley.

Apple didn’t reveal how many iPhones it had in stock at its Southgate Mall location.

Apple CEO Tim Cook described the device as the “biggest advancement in the history of iPhone.”

The iPhone 6 is priced at $749, while the iPhone 6 Plus comes at a cost of $859.

On Monday, Apple revealed that it had received more than four million first-day pre-orders for the recently unveiled iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. But demand for the new devices has exceeded the company’s initial supply, which means some people may not receive their phones until October.

Pre-orders for the new iPhones doubled the two million order record set by the iPhone 5 in 2012.

According to Apple’s website, both the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus will take three to four weeks to ship to Canadian customers.