iPhone debut creates retail frenzy

CUPERTINO, Calif., July 11 (UPI) -- Friday's retail debut for Apple's new 3G iPhone prompted long lines at U.S. stores and a slowdown at the company's Ifixit.com Web site, observers said.

The first shipments of the new gadget may already be sold out, The Washington Post reported Friday.

So many techies logged on for a view of the new iPhone 3G's microchip Thursday, the company's Web site became sluggish, the Post reported.

Lines began to form at some Apple stores Thursday evening. Some enterprising customers were even selling a place on line on Craigslist, an online classified ad Web site. Prices for a place on line ranged from $50 to $100.

Lines also snaked down sidewalks in London, the Times of London reported.

More than 50 persons lined up outside an O2 store on Holloway Road and more than 150 camped outside Apple's store on Regent Street. But many went away disappointed because demand had overwhelmed the O2 computer system. O2 is the carrier that is registering iPhone customers in Britain.

The new iPhone's biggest selling point is its quicker Web connection. The company's Web site lists 1,700 applications, the Post reported.