iPhone Savior: iPhone Lines Still Going Strong Late Into Friday Night At Many Apple Stores

Apple store lines filled with anxious iPhone 3G faithful are now stretching late into Friday night with no real end in site. The photo above was taken at 10:52 PM outside Apple's 5th Avenue Flagship store which is known for being open 24 hours a day. The scene resembles a hyped up sea of concert goers except with no stage, no band and no loud music. It's a sidewalk worship service being held for the Jesus phone that saved the planet.

We checked in on one Seattle Apple store location to find a four hour queue still in place at 9:00 PM. It became painfully obvious that many will miss their shot at going home with an iPhone, as the store planned to close at 11:00 PM. Apple specialists appeared to be haggard and overwhelmed by the non-stop flow of zombies into the store. A line for non iPhone purchases was running an hour wait. One staffer commented that he was going on 22 hours in two days, managing with only a few hours of sleep. I'd call that guy mister Mactastic.

An AppleInsider report confirms that European retailers sold out of the new iPhone 3G before US stores even opened on Friday. The demand for iPhone 3G will be intense throughout the weekend, with many people we spoke to obsessed with the idea they can slide in under the radar to grab an iPhone once the crowds die down. A good idea if you don't mind waiting until sometime next week. Unless they're sold out first. Seriously!

[NYC photo by mrgeneko]