iPhone 5 Now on Sale in the U.S.

The iPhone 5 just launched in the U.S. along the east coast. Fortune's Philip Elmer-Dewitt is at the 5th Avenue Store and notes that the line is longer than last year's iPhone 4S line:

We're here at the big glass cube of Apple's (AAPL) flagship Fifth Avenue store for the launch of the iPhone 5. The queue of customers isn't as long as the 1,200 that greeted the iPad 2, but at 7 a.m. -- one hour before doors open -- I counted 710 heads, 52% more than the 400 at the iPhone 4S launch.

The first day pre-orders for the iPhone 5 doubled last year's iPhone 4S launch. That initial set of pre-orders for the iPhone 5 should arrive throughout the day.