iPhone campers started lining up at 10:00 PM Thursday night in Boulder, Colorado for the chance to be one of the first to buy Apple’s new combination iPod and smartphone, and the lines at Apple’s San Francisco store started Thursday morning. Their patience paid off Friday evening when the Apple Stores opened their doors to fanfare and cheers.

The crowds outside the doors of the San Francisco Apple Store.

Some 200 people were in line at the 29th Street Boulder location by 6:00 PM Friday evening, and more than 500 stretched around three sides of the San Francisco city block at the 1 Stockton Street store. In both cities, there was a festival air for many waiting in line, a sentiment that has been echoed in reports from around the country.

Boulder shoppers eagerly await 6PM.

The first two units sold in Boulder went to local Mac consultant Mike McDaniel -- one of the first people in line Thursday night. "It was really great," he said. "There were great people in line. We had so much fun." Other mall stores joined in on the event by providing umbrellas for shade, drinks, and snacks. Mr. McDaniel added "It was a real community event."

The first person to walk out with an iPhone is in the center of this image, surrounded by attending media	Mike McDaniel scores the first iPhone from the Boulder store.

In addition to the street performers near the head of the line in San Francisco, Starbucks had a portable kiosk on hand selling refreshments on the sidewalk near the Apple Store. Apple employees did their part to make everyone feel like they were part of a community event, too. As groups of customers were let in the store, employees would cheer, and new iPhone owners were congratulated as they stepped back outside.

Indeed, store employees started a shouted countdown at 5:59:34 PM, with cheers, applause, and congratulations ringing out as the first customers crossed through into the Apple Store. Within five minutes, the first customers walked back outside (through the assembled media), holding their iPhones aloft like trophies in a victory stance.

Employees help iPhone buyers in the Boulder Apple Store.

Mr. Warnock -- a Microsoft .Net developer -- needed to test it on an actual iPhone to make sure it worked. "It’s been ready to go for several days," Mr. Warnock said, "but I’ve been waiting to test it before we announced the product."

Kevin Warnock, CEO of Goffice.com, and his company’s iPhone app

Anne and Matthew, residents of Berkeley, arrived in San Francisco at 2:30, but Matthew’s wait began long before that. "I said 10 years ago that I’d pay up to US$3,000 for an Apple cell phone that worked," he said, making his price of $599 for an 8GB unit a comparative bargain. His wife Anne didn’t an iPhone for herself, but instead provided moral support and drink runs for their wait.

Matthew and his 10-year wait iPhone

Perhaps most interesting was that even after waiting in line for hours, days in some cases, people were smiling before and after they got their iPhones. Even Apple Store employees, who were no doubt under a lot of stress in the weeks leading up to the release, were also smiling and seemingly having a good time in the opening hours of iPhonemania.

Perhaps that is why the buying process remained swift throughout the opening day, standing in stark contrast to the experience of buying a phone through traditional carrier-operated store fronts. Once they got in, customers could get their iPhone and walk out of the store within just a few minutes, unless they wanted to stay and look at other Apple merchandize.

This was most closely illustrated by the scene at AT&T stores near both the San Francisco and Boulder Apple Store locations. As one customer left the Boulder AT&T store, an employee guarding the door would sternly allow the next person in line to come in. The 40-person line was quiet, and there wasn’t any cheering as customers left the store with their new iPhone.

The same was true at the Market Street AT&T store in San Francisco, where the line was quiet, and the store quickly ran out of 8GB units. The lines didn’t appear to move as fast at either location, either, and this was perhaps exacerbated by the decidedly un-partylike atmosphere.

Leander Kahney from Wired’s The Cult of Mac, and his son, Lyle.