Thousands of Mac geeks and gadget fans alike are queuing at Apple and AT&T stores across the United States. Their aim: to be among the lucky few who get an iPhone on its first day of sale.

We aim to bring you regular updates over the next few hours, with a little help from our sister site MacLife , so back often. Don't forget to refresh this page in your web browser for the latest news

2:24am - That's it from us

Please head over to our sister site MacLife to find out how things are progressing in San Francisco.

2am - US Apple online Store is back

Check out the iPhone goodness ... and then feel sad because you can't buy one here.

1:12am - Reader.mac.com is live

Mystery RSS reader app is now working... but only on the iPhone.

1:06am - iPhone gets busted wide open

ifixit.com has got an iPhone and is busily taking it to pieces to see what's inside .

1:04am - Apple posts iPhone user manual

The PDF document is now available for download from Apple's dedicated iPhone support site .

12:51am - Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak queues for iPhone

The man who co-founded Apple with Steve Jobs in 1976 apparently turned down an offer of VIP status while buying his iPhone. Instead Woz , who left Apple in 1987, queued with everyone else. Engadget just has posted a video interview with the computing pioneer.

12: 34am - The US Apple Store is still down

Still over an hour to go before it comes back online...

12:30am - New York City store report

The New York Times (NYT) has just published its take on the Apple iPhone launch and how it's progressing so far. It says:

"Apple wanted a spectacle when the iPhone went on sale this evening, and it got just that.

Customers eager to be among the first to buy the long-awaited cellphone waited in long lines in front of Apple stores in New York and other cities. Some had camped out there for several days. Shorter lines were seen at AT&T stores, which also carry the phone."

The article quotes one lucky shopper who said he needn't have queued for an iPhone at all:

"I guess I didn't need to get in line because they have thousands of them in there. But for me it was a fun thing," 52-year-old Norbert Pauli told NYT's reporter.

The paper reports that even one overseas gadgeteer has snapped up an iPhone even though it may not work in their home country. Strange scenes indeed.

12:23am - California Mac fans prepare for Apple Store opening

Some US citizens may already be happy owners of iPhones, but others still have another couple of hours to wait. This is true in Sherman Oaks, California where The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) reports:

"The store has officially closed for the time being (until 6pm, of course) and they have put up black material covering the windows. Its all very theatrical and adds to the element of excitement.

"The line is now up to more like two hundred but I've also heard reports from other Los Angeles area stores like the Glendale Galleria, that the lines are stretching all the way outside and winding through the parking structure.

"I feel bad for those people and a little better about my 95th place in line -- at least according to the last count conducted by mall security."

12: 21am - More iPhone unboxing

This time Gizmodo is on the case. Watch the unboxing live.

12:08pm - Now the iPhone's real test begins

The hype is over, the iPhone is on sale and now the real test begins for Apple, says CNN Money .

It's also reporting live from Apple's New York City store saying:

"Apple store employees made a line just inside the front door and clapped for customers entering and leaving the store.

"The mood was much like a rock concert, with people screaming and pumping their fists, and camera flashes going off.

"'The guys inside made me feel like a celebrity,' said Antonia Leite. 'I've been waiting in line forever.'

"'This is a liminal experience. Do you know what a liminal experience is?,' said Johnny Samson, a video producer, who purchased one of the first iPhones. 'I've gotta go. I don't want to get robbed.'"

12:03pm - First pictures of iPhone owners

Engadget has posted some of the first pictures of proud iPhone owners . We're not jealous at all (sob).

11.59pm - BMW welcomes the iPhone

BMW has become the first car company to welcome the arrival of the iPhone. A brief statement on its US website reads:

"In 2004, BMW was the first to integrate the iPod into BMW vehicles and have customers take full control of their music on the road. So it seemed only logical that BMW be among the first to ensure iPhone owners have the same ability to enjoy their music, plus the added benefits of Bluetooth® hands-free calling across our model line. We are pleased to announce that BMW owners can use their iPhone in this way from day one."

11.51pm - The first Apple iPhones unboxed

iphonelaunch.tv is showing an iPhone being unboxed live on its site. Good luck getting a peek though - the site has an 800 viewer limit, and it's already choked.

You can however see still images of a separate unboxing, posted by flickr user ajmiarka .

11.46pm - iPhone launch gives Steve Jobs 'butterflies'

Apple CEO Steve Jobs has admitted he's nervous about the iPhone's launch today.

""We wanted to make a phone so great, you couldn't imagine going anywhere without it," Jobs told the USA Today last Thursday. "That was our goal, and we think we achieved it. That's why we have such butterflies in our stomach. We get to see Friday if people agree with us."

11.38pm - The US online Apple Store is down

It's being updated to sell the iPhone and official Apple accessories. Maybe more?

11pm - The Apple iPhone is on sale now

Apple Stores up and down the eastern seaboard of the United States have opened to cheering crowds . The first iPhones are being snapped up now.

Queues at Apple's New York Store fit to burst

Wired.com has posted some amazing pictures of scenes from the iPhone launch in New York. It says queues are now reaching around the block from the Fifth Avenue Store.

If you're not in line now, no iPhone for you

Reports are coming in that the queues at many Apple Stores have now reached capacity, with at least 250 people standing in line. This means that if everyone in the queue buys two iPhones that the Apple Store at that location will sell out.

People in the queue are being handed numbered wristbands by Apple employees, with 50 shoppers allowed to enter the store at a time. Apple is obviously hoping to avoid the violence and mayhem that has accompanied the launch of some games consoles in the US, notably for the Sony PlayStation 3 .

Apple has been handing out bottles of water to those in line throughout the day. Mind you, so have street teams from a Microsoft subsidiary, who are maybe trying to catch some of the iPhone's buzz.

AT&T's EDGE network gets speed boost ahead of launch

Mobile phone users on HowardForums are reporting massively increased mobile web surfing speeds using AT&T's EDGE network. The news, if true, will prove a boon to iPhone users, especially as EDGE speeds from the US mobile network have been heavily criticised in the past.

AT&T has reportedly spent $50 million (£25 million) on improving its network speeds - the results of which have obviously been timed to coincide with the launch of the iPhone today. HowardForums user LIVEFROMNYC says:

"I just noticed a huge (stable) increase in EDGE speeds on both my iMate SP5 and my IPAQ 6945. I even called my friend to confirm speed on his EDGE RAZR and he notice a big difference in speed too. So I'm not bugging out. I'm in Queens, he is in Manhattan.

"Using IE and Opera browser is MUCH faster, and I'm using Google Maps Mobile on Satellite Settings (Picture) with ease, something I could not do on EDGE without waiting forever just yesterday. I had to double check and make sure I wasn't connected to my WiFi, that how much the increase feels.

"I not saying it is faster than 3G or whatever. (I don't even know 3G speeds), but this is an huge improvement. And I think it's just in time for the iPhone."