The iPhone 4 is out today: lines, phones, and cultural decadence

The launch of Apple’s new device has gained significant media attention, lines of gadget-hungry nerds queuing around the block, and hours and hours of waiting. Nothing new there, then.

The device in question today is the iPhone 4, the latest version of Apple’s smartphone that’s been impressing gadget freaks with its front-facing camera, high resolution screen, brilliant 5 mega-pixel camera, and beefy battery life.

Wired UK is reporting that 700 people were queuing around the smartphone creator’s flagship store on Regent Street in London, at 7am. Now, the first purchaser has emerged from the murky depths of the store, and is totally jazzed about his new purchase.

Over in San Francisco, the first person in line is a dirty rotten cheat. He didn’t camp out for days, putting up with a queue full of Apple evangelists, constant media attention and his own lack of hygiene. He just paid the first person in the queue almost $400 for the spot through AirBnB.

But then again, he did give his name as “Gray Powell” to ABC7, the name of the Apple engineer who lost the iPhone 4 in a German beer garden, earlier this year. Points for creativity there.

Around the UK, plenty of queues are popping up. Electric Pig has reported on long lines in Brentwood, Bluewater, Birimingham, and Bury St. Edmonds.

Did you queue up? Are you still in the queue right now? Let us know what the experience is like, in the comments below.