There were a few hundred people in a snaking line along Stockton Street waiting to buy a new iPhone 11 at 7:30 a.m. on Friday.

Natalie Derkach, a 29-year-old from Moscow, got in line at the San Francisco Union Square store shortly after 8 a.m. By 9, she still was toward the back of the line but didn't care how long the wait was. She planned to buy the space gray iPhone 11 Pro in San Francisco because it was cheaper than in her home of Russia. It was "just chance" that she was in the US during the launch, she said.

Norton was the only dog in line, and he's been to every iPhone on-sale day except the first one.

Shaan from Portland was in town for work and is here to pick up an iPhone 11 Pro in space gray, upgrading from an iPhone XS. "It's the camera, why you upgrade," he said.

Justin Harris snaps a selfie as the doors open at the Apple Store in Union Square in San Francisco just before 8 a.m. on Friday.

A colorful array of iPhones on display in San Francisco.

Lots of early morning shopping happening here.

Lines of around 200 people stretched along Post Street and around the corner to Stockton Street in San Francisco where people zigzagged through corrals waiting to enter.

Making the iPhone 11 Pro purchase in San Francisco.

Thanks to the magic of time zones, Sydney is one of the first cities in the world where the iPhone launches each year. Here's Apple's flagship store on Friday just before 8 a.m. local time.

Muhannad Al Nadaf, 21, was the first in line in Sydney to get an iPhone. He's lined up for the past five years in the hopes of being the first person in the city to snag a new iPhone. He achieved that goal for the first time this year, rocking up to the store at 3 a.m., a full five hours before launch time.

Sydney's first iPhone owner. He bought a space gray iPhone 11 Pro Max.

Mazen Kourouche was No. 2 in line. He's been first in line for the past five years. In 2017, he even waited in line for 11 full days to get the iPhone 8.

Around 100 people came to Sydney's Apple Store for the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro launch.

There were three separate lines. Here are people who didn't preorder a phone and rocked up hoping for the best.

Jack, a 17-year-old student, said he couldn't reserve an iPhone because he doesn't have photo ID.

When the doors opened at 8 a.m., Apple Store employees gave customers a standing ovation as they entered the store.

It's time.

From left to right, the iPhone 11 Pro Max, 11 Pro and 11.

Here they are again.

The 11 Pro Max's in-store display.

Apple also launches the Apple Watch Series 5 on Friday.

So many options, not enough time (or money).

Did you know Apple's Stores are animal friendly?

An Apple logo floats above the crowd in Sydney.

In New York City, the flagship 5th avenue Apple Store, known as "The Cube," reopened Friday with the iPhone 11 launch.

The first fellow in line, Ryan Romero, 24, emerges with his phone -- an iPhone 11 Pro Max -- and is greeted with cheers from Apple staff and others in line.

Customers are greeted by 900 Apple employees as they descend the central staircase from the glass box entry into the store.

This place is abuzz.

Tim Cook was on hand in New York to greet the fans.

And of course pose for press photos...

Lots of selfies were taken with the CEO, including this one by Tejas Davda. He came in from New Jersey to "share the excitement of the new iPhone launch with the other Apple fans." 

Romero, the first buyer at the Fifth Ave. store poses with his new phone in front of the staircase.

Greg Joswiak, Apple's vice president of product marketing, was in New York. 

As was Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing.

Guests were encouraged to sit down in the teaching area of the store for a quick tutorial on taking slofies, the term Apple invented for iPhone 11's new slow-motion selfie.

Fans of Apple in Madrid arrived at the iconic store in Puerta del Sol up to three hours before the store opened at 8:00 a.m.

The line of people who had reserved an iPhone 11 in advance was way shorter than the line for people who just wanted to go in before making a decision to buy.

An hour after the doors opened in Madrid, people continued to arrive.

On to Mexico, where Arturo Delgado was the first buyer of an iPhone 11. And he went all they way, going for the iPhone 11 Pro Max with 256GB of storage.

Kevin Garduño bought two iPhone Pro Max (64GB) phones in midnight green.

Garduño arrived in Mexico City at 1 a.m. on Friday after traveling 150 kilometers from his home in Pachuca, Hidalgo.