It was 8 a.m., and the line was already down the hall and around the corner, beginning at the Apple Store at the Bridgewater Commons Mall Friday.
Yes, the fervor over the iPhone 5 was in full swing at the mall on its launch day.
According to employees with the Apple Store, people were lining up as early as 4 a.m. at the mall to wait for their new phones. One manager at the store called it a "healthy" response to the new phone.
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To accommodate the expected reaction, the store opened at 8 a.m. Friday, two hours earlier than the mall's regular opening time.
And the store will do the same Saturday before returning to regular hours Sunday.
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Plus, Apple hired security to stand outside the store to keep watch for the expected long lines and high volume of shoppers.
For many shoppers standing on the line outside the store, it was about them just upgrading their current phones, but several were excited by the new offerings of the iPhone 5.
"I like that there is an HD camera I can use with my son," said Bridgewater resident Jamie Gallicchio.
Gallicchio and his wife, Laura, joined a somewhat shorter line in front of the store around 1 p.m, and said they wanted to upgrade their phones, but would be willing to wait for another day if they had to.
Laura Gallicchio said they had tried to preorder the phones, but couldn't get anything higher than a 16 GB.
"We were told to come out to the store," she said.
Jason Pennucci, of Bedminster, said he was also due for an upgrade and figured he'd buck the line while he was at the mall anyway.
"I figured I'd take a stab at it, and it doesn't look too bad now," he said.
An avid Apple user, Pennucci said he is looking forward to a few of the added features on the phone, particularly now that he and his wife are about to have a baby.
"We are looking forward to using FaceTime with the relatives out west, especially with the new baby," he said.
And for shopper Mark P., who declined to give his full name, he has been using Apple products for 10 years, and is excited for the extras on the new phone.
"It has a bigger screen and a faster network," he said.
Are you planning to get the new iPhone? What do you think of it?
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