Line grows at Apple's flagship Fifth Ave cube in anticipation of Friday launch of new iPhones

AppleInsider reader Ryan dropped by the Midtown Manhattan store on Thursday and captured some images of the scene along Fifth Avenue, where television stations have begun to arrive and customers are waiting to be among the first in North America to get their hands on an iPhone 5s or 5c. Analysts have predicted that Apple could sell up to 8 million of the new devices on launch weekend.

Lines first began to form at Apple's flagship Fifth Avenue store, covered by a giant glass cube, earlier this month, before the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c were even officially announced. Camping out at the store for Apple's latest products has become something of a tradition among fanatics.

Despite investors' dissatisfaction with the pricing of the new lower-cost iPhone 5c and Apple's refusal to reveal preorder numbers, reviews of the handsets have been effusive and surveys show that demand remains high.

The iPhone 5s and 5c go on sale in Apple's retail stores at 8:00am local time Friday in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore, the U.S. and U.K. Apple's online store will begin taking orders at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time, and the phones can also be purchased from Apple's carrier partners.