Two iPhone queuers outside Apple store in Regent Street

"Unprecedented" demand not spilling onto pavement

10 July 2008 18:08 GMT / By Stuart Miles

It's the "buzz" gadget of the moment, however it seems that the "buzz" hasn't filtered through to the man on the street.

Less than 24 hours before the new 3G version of the iPhone goes on sale, UK customers on the ground are thin compared to the last launch on a rainy dark November evening.

Pocket-lint took a trip to the Apple store on Regent Street late this afternoon to see how well O2's message, urging people to queue early for the device, had been received.

There were only two would-be iPhone 3G owners waiting on the pavement, prepared to brave a night out on the mean streets of London, in order to be guaranteed stock of the device.

Sunil, a Malaysian ex-Apple reseller employee, first in the queue, is planning to auction off his number one spot to the highest bidder. So far the bidding has reached the dizzy heights of £2.

Second in line is Antonio, a Mexican fashion student now living in St Johns Wood. The 19-year-old is a self-confessed Apple fanboy and thinks the iPhone 3G is "amazing".

"It's really stylish", Antonio said of the device, as our roving Pocket-lint reporter showed him our shiny new iPhone 3G, up and running in all its glory.

Antonio is planning on getting the 8GB version on the £35 per month contract when the store's doors open early tomorrow morning.

What happens if Sunil doesn't sell his spot? "I'll probably buy one," he said reluctantly.