iPhone 5C and 5S hit the streets worldwide (pictures)

Sylvain Gautier emerges from the Apple store in Paris at 8:03 a.m. local time Friday (11 p.m. Thursday) after becoming the first in France to buy an iPhone 5S, Apple's new flagship smartphone. He bought a second for a friend. Apple's iPhone 5S and the lower-end 5C went sale Friday morning in several countries.

Sylvain Gautier, the first member of the French public to own an iPhone 5S, shows off his purchase for press photographers outside Apple's Opera store in Paris. Apple's iPhone 5S and the lower-end 5C went sale Friday morning in several countries.

Apple's iPhone 5S and 5C go on sale Friday morning, which has already arrived in places like Australia.
Here, Jimmy Gunawan walks out of the flagship Apple store in Sydney with two new iPhones in hand Friday morning local time (about 3 p.m. PT Thursday).

For Gunawan, who arrived at the Sydney store midday Thursday and was first in line, it's the new camera upgrades that made the iPhone 5S a must-buy.

In Paris, Apple sequestered the earliest arrivals in the line to buy the iPhone 5S and 5C into a section near the Opera store. People dressed warmly for the cool but dry weather.

In Singapore, the iPhone 5S is available from carriers, and here are the first ten in line at SingTel's launch event held at Marina Bay Sands. John Yap, the first, has been queueing since 9pm the night before. He bought a gold 64GB iPhone 5S.

Meet Norman Hicks from Kent, UK, first in line for the iPhone 5S at Apple's Covent Garden shop in London. He's a proud member of the Jaguar Enthusiasts Club.

With plenty of time left to go, 17-year-old Noah Green patiently sits outside the Apple store on London's Regent Street. To his right, second in line, is Michael, who's a friend of Noah's and part of a die-hard gang that rallies around Apple events.

A queue is forming outside Singapore telco M1's store, located at the heart of the Orchard Road shopping district. Melva Yip (left) is the first in the queue. He was also the first person in the queue during the past three iPhone launches.

In Singapore, the iPhone 5C will be available from Apple resellers and these customers will be waiting overnight till noon Friday to get their candy-colored smartphones.

Apple Store at Ginza shopping district in Tokyo as people wait for the new iPhone 5S and 5C.

This is the scene Thursday night outside the Shibuya Apple Store in Tokyo. The iPhone 5S goes on sale at 8 a.m. local time on Friday, which is 12 hours after this photo was taken. There is a line of about 70 people, and the first person started lining up on Thursday morning. This is a big contrast from the Ginza store, where the first person started waiting in line more than a week ago.

People camp outside the Apple Store on 5th Avenue in New York as they await the release of the iPhone iPhone 5S/5C on Friday.

These hardy New Yorkers came ready to camp out overnight in the Big Apple -- waiting for the other Apple to open the doors to its Fifth Avenue store.

Sylvain Gautier, the first member of the public in France to own Apple's new flagship iPhone, shows off what he bought -- a 64GB space gray model for himself and a 32GB white model for a friend. Apple's iPhone 5S and the lower-end 5C went sale Friday morning in several countries.

The front of the queue waits for the Apple store in Paris to open and sales of the iPhone 5S and 5C to begin on Friday morning.

Apple store employees in Paris gave the first person in line for an iPhone 5S a warm, loud welcome with kisses, cheers, and sustained applause. He took longer than the second person in line to make his purchase, though, so was wasn't the first person to actually buy an iPhone 5S in France, though.

Lining up early to buy the newest Apple gadget is a ritual for some, and for others, it's an event to record -- with an iPhone, unsurprisingly, in this case in Paris.

Thirsty queuers outside Apple's flagship London store in Covent Garden enjoy complimentary coffees.

This red-nosed gentleman had been there all night. "I don't have a mind. I cannot communicate unless through an iPhone," he said. "This is the best moment of my life. I love this place, I love these people, I love Apple, I love Steve Jobs."

Apple employees hurry to get the Store ready for the horde of queuers outside in Covent Garden, London.

Blue-shirted Apple Store employees warmly welcome Norman Hicks, the first in the queue at London's Covent Garden store.

And he's finally got it! After three nights sleeping rough on the streets of London, Norman has his iPhone 5S. He bought two -- both gold 64GB models -- which he'll auction and give the proceeds to charity. He's followed by second in the queue Jesse Green, who bought an iPhone 5S and an iPhone 5C.

Norman, the first person in the UK to buy an iPhone 5S, proudly shows off his new mobiles.

Two minutes walk away on the Strand, there is no queue at this Phones 4U store, which has plenty of both iPhone 5C and 5S. But they'll only sell you one on a contract, not SIM-free, which they said was exclusive to Apple for two weeks.

As usual, the line outside of Apple's New York City flagship store is cordoned off at the front and wraps around the block past FAO Schwartz and around the corner.

Brian Ceballo and his sponsors at SellYourMac.com have been waiting in line for 15 days here in New York. Having done the wait-in-line thing for every iPhone in the last 5 years this is his first time at the front of the line... With an hour still to wait these guys are up on their feet and ready to go!

An Apple store employee tells 19-year-old Brian Ceballo that the store on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue -- one of Apple's largest -- doesn't have the 64GB iPhone 5S in stock. Ceballo, the first in line, waited for 15 days at the store for that particular device. Apple eventually "found one in back," he says.

We spotted Carson Daly getting ready to record a spot-- whether he's here to mock or celebrate the age-old tradition of waiting in line for a new iPhone is unclear.

Here in NYC the blue-shirted apple staff has been clapping and hollering on and off for at least 45 minutes pre-sale.

Brian Ceballo, our #1 NYC iPhone line-waiter, emerges victorious from "The Cube." He had waited 15 days in line for this moment.

Encouraged by a cameraman to display more enthusiasm, Ceballo shows his gusto for the iPhone 5S he's just bought.

Shoppers file into Apple's flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York. Hundreds of people waited in line for the device, with the first person arriving 15 days before the launch.

Apple Store employees high-five each other on Friday morning as they prepare for opening the door on iPhone 5S sales.

At the front of the line at the Palo Alto, Calif., Apple Store is a group from giftavet.org. These five will donate their new iPhones to the organization that honors veterans.

Apple CEO Tim Cook stopped by the Apple Store in Palo Alto Friday morning for the launch of iPhone 5S.

Apple CEO Tim Cook stopped by the Apple Store in Palo Alto Friday morning for the launch of iPhone 5S.

Apple CEO Tim Cook stopped by the Apple Store in Palo Alto Friday morning for the launch of iPhone 5S.

Apple CEO Tim Cook chats with fans after he stopped by the Apple Store in Palo Alto Friday morning for the launch of iPhone 5S.

Apple CEO Tim Cook stopped by the Apple Store in Palo Alto Friday morning for the launch of iPhone 5S.

The line for the new iPhone at the Apple Store in Palo Alto, Calif., wraps around the block, and is larger than I have ever seen it at this store.

The line for the new iPhone at the Apple Store in Palo Alto, Calif., wraps around the block, and is larger than I have ever seen it at this store.

Tim Cook cheers as the doors open at the Apple Store in Palo Alto, Calif., for the sale of the iPhone 5S.

Tim Cook at the Apple Store in Palo Alto, Calif.

Tim Cook at the Palo Alto Apple Store as the iPhone 5S goes on sale.