"Actually, they have got video. That's amazing. There's the media. We can take photos and video clips. That's amazing thing. (How long are you waiting for?) For hours. Since 3 am," said Louis Palcios.

Apple and AT&T Inc., the phone's U.S. carrier, took pre-orders online this year, which might be one of the reasons why fewer prospective buyers were standing in line this year, said one of the staff members who were helping maintain order outside the store.

Apple released its first iPhone model two years ago, and it quickly became a consumer phenomenon. The second-generation 3G model was released last summer.

Apple has sold more than 40 million units of the iPhone and iPod Touch, which uses the same software.

It is learned that the U.S. smart phone market grew by 68 percent last year and is projected to grow by 20 percent in 2009 and almost 25 percent next year.

The latest iPhone also started on sale Friday in other U.S. cities and seven other countries at the same time. U.S. consumers can also purchase them at AT&T stores, Wal-Mart, in addition to Apple outlets．

(CCTV June 22, 2009)