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A hardened core of Apple fanatics braved temperatures of 7C (45F) overnight in order to be the lay their hands on their iPhone when it goes on sale this evening.

Sleep-deprived, shaken from a early morning encounter with some drunkards, but otherwise buoyant, the five or so who camped out on Regent St, Central London, now have only hours to wait before they can buy the device they have coveted since it was announced 11 months ago.

First in the queue behind some metal barricades was Graham Gilbert, a 22-year-old computing student who arrived at 8.30am yesterday after travelling down from Manchester.

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Mr Gilbert, an owner of eight Apple products, including four iPods and two computers, said he thought it would be fun to "hang out with like-minded Apple geeks," but admitted that some of his friends thought he was "a bit sad."

He said he had paid £40 to cancel his existing contract with Vodafone so that he could sign up with O2, the iPhone's official partner network, just after 6pm tonight.

Asked whether his interest in the product bordered on the obsessive, Mr Gilbert said: "It's a bit like a religion. Some people don't understand it, and think it's stupid. But then some people also think Christianity's stupid. It's no different, really."

Three along from him - past some sleeping bags, a pair of woollen gloves and a packet of wet wipes - was Lisa Freeman, the only woman in line. Ms Freeman, 31, a receptionist, said she had taken the day off to queue up, and likened the experience to "the camaraderie you get in the Christmas sales."

She said she had only slept for one and half hours, and that a group of drunkards had screamed at her at about 3am telling her she was "wasting her f***ing time", but that others passers-by were more supportive.

A nearby restaurant supplied pepperoni and margherita pizzas, she said, and another company - the Cloud - which is partnering with O2 and Apple to provide wi-fi access to iPhone owners across 8,000 hotspots - brought hoodies.

Paul Waite, a web developer who joined the queue at 5.30am this morning, said that the experience of hanging out with "other Mac people" was "a bit like going to a rock concert."

Asked what about the iPhone - which will cost £269 not including the minimum 18 month contract - was so compelling, he said: "It's the whole package...the design. It's like Star Trek. It's the stuff you dream about."

Many standing in the queue outside Apple's flagship store - which by mid-morning had grown to 20 or so - had broken contracts with their existing networks in order to be eligible to get an iPhone.

One Vodafone customer said he would 'unlock' the phone using software downloaded from the internet - so he could keep his contract, and while this meant that he would be unable to receive any updates to the phone Apple may issue, he said that didn't matter.

There was also a consensus that £269 was not too much to pay for a device that was a phone, e-mail server, music and video player, internet browser, personal organiser, and camera rolled into one.

"To me it represents good value," said John Hammond, 23, who arrived at 6.30am. "Some other high-end phones can cost between £400-500 if you buy them without a SIM card."

Apple, O2 and Carphone Warehouse stores will all shut in the early afternoon today, before re-opening at 6:02pm with iPhones on the shelves.

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