Consumers eager to get their hands on Apple's latest release — the iPhone 5 — are jamming stores around the world.

Long lines formed at stores selling the new smartphone in Canada, the United States, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Britain, France and Germany. It will go on sale in another 22 countries next week.

In London, England, some people camped out for a week to be among the first to get the phone. In Hong Kong, Apple store staff chanting "iPhone 5! iPhone 5!" high-fived customers as they were allowed into the store one-by-one.

Rail company cries foul

03305200 A clock symbol is displayed on an iPad with the new iOS 6 Friday, Sept.21, 2012 in Nauen, eastern Germany. Switzerland's national rail company is accusing Apple Inc. of stealing the iconic look of its station clocks for the iOS 6 operating system used by iPhone and iPad mobile devices. Both designs have a round clock face with black indicators except for the second hand which is red. (Ferdinand Ostrop/Associated Press)

Amid the hype of the phone launch, Swiss Federal Railways, the country's national rail company, claimed Friday that Apple had used the look of its station clocks for the new iOS 6 operating system without permission.

"We are proud that this icon of clock design is being used by a globally successful company," railway spokesman Reto Kormann said. "We've approached Apple and told them that the rights for this clock belong to us," he said.

The operating system is used on Apple's iPhones and iPads.

Even Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak joined the queue of early adopters. In Brisbane, Australia, for a business forum, Wozniak was in line with hundreds of others to snap up the new phone, Reuters reported.

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"Well, this is the place where the iPhone 5 is being released to the world for the first time in the world, and I don't have to wait 17 extra hours to get it in California," Wozniak told a local Australian television morning show.

Anticipation for the product has been high. Apple said this will be the biggest iPhone launch ever, having received two million preorders in the first 24 hours . That preorder figure is double the number that Apple received when it launched the iPhone 4S a year ago.

Apple expects to sell 10 million phones over next few weeks, and BMO thinks the company will sell 50 million units in the final three months of this year.

Apple's share price earlier this week topped $700 US for the first time. On Friday, the stock closed up $1.39 US, or 0.2 per cent, at $700.09.

With file from The Associated Press