The lineup outside the Apple store on Ste-Catherine st. near the corner of Crescent was already at several hundred as of 5:30 Friday morning.

The first people in line arrived at 2:45 p.m. on Thursday. Jonathan Moreau is one of them. He says the time has been passing quickly.

"It's all about the journey," he says, "we're here hanging out with friends, talking, watching moveies."

At 8 a.m. sharp the doors opened to loud cheers. The first couple of people to emerge proudly held up their new iPhone 5. 

"Really, I'm first?" said the first man out, telling reporters it was worth the 16-hour wait.

Apple is reporting two million pre-orders for the latest iPhone. That's double the number it saw for last year's release of the iPhone 4-S.