iPhone Mania Comes to Walnut Creek

Pinole siblings Dana and Chad Weeks said the line to get in to Walnut Creek's Apple store for Thursday's launch of the new iPhone 4 was not too bad.  Still, even though they arrived on time for the store's 7 a.m. opening, they still had to wait two and half hours in a line that snaked south all the way around Barnes and Noble Booksellers.

They walked out of the store at 9:40 a.m. with their new gadgets.  

The first person to get his hands on an iPhone4 at the Walnut Creek store waited in line for 24 hours, KTVU reports. 

These customers were among thousands lining up outside Apple stores around the world to get their hands on the iPhone4. 

The Associated Press reported that some stores were running out of phones, with Apple calling the demand for the phone "off the charts." More than 600,000 people had rushed to pre-order iPhones on the first day they were available, prompting Apple and its partner in the U.S., AT&T Inc., to stop taking orders for pickup or shipment by Thursday's launch.On Apple's website, new orders weren't promised for delivery until July 14.

Those who didn't place an iPhone 4 order had to line up outside Apple stores Thursday in the hopes of getting one on a first-come, first-served basis, the Associated Press said.

The Weeks siblings said they didn't have any problem getting their phones because they had pre-ordered them.

Associated Press adds that the new iPhone is the fourth since the 2007 original and is thinner with a better-resolution screen and longer battery life.