Apple fans line up for iPhone 11, Apple Watch Series 5 as first orders arrive

Apple Ginza on Friday, Sept. 20. | Source: xeno_twit via Twitter

Customers began to form lines in front of Apple stores in Dubai, Japan, Singapore and other locales late Thursday and early Friday in anticipation of a start to brick-and-mortar store sales of iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max and Apple Watch Series 5. As in years past, line-waiters shared photos of their experience online.

Security guards were out in force Friday morning to help fans — and perhaps a few scalpers — form tidy lines in front of Japan's new Marunouchi store in Tokyo. While not the onslaught of years past, about a dozen people were present at 5:30 a.m., according to one Twitter user.

A similar scene is unfolding a few blocks away at Apple Ginza, while Apple Omotesando, which is due to open in tandem with the launch iPhone 11, saw a couple stalwart fans peer into its windows in the morning's wee hours. A few hours before opening, staff at the Ginza store carted out apple juice, tea and pastries to those waiting in line, as customers at the Omotesando location were offered coffee and bread.

Apple Dubai's massive glass doors opened to a clutch of overnight campers.

Apple Kärntner Straße in Vienna, Austria, is also hosting a small line ahead of Friday's launch.

Evidence of queues has yet to surface in the U.S., though it appears Apple is not allowing lines to form at certain high-profile locations. For example, staff are telling customers to move along at Apple Fifth Avenue, which reopens Friday after a long renovation period.

Just west of the international dateline in New Zealand and Australia, iPhone 11 and Apple Watch Series 5 are starting to land on the doorsteps of preorder customers. Availability will expand to Asia and Europe in the coming hours, with North and South America slated to gain access last.

Don't forget to check out AppleInsider's top setup tips when that shiny new iPhone arrives.