iPhone 6 goes on sale as New Yorkers line up

NEW YORK (WABC) -- The much-anticipated new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus went on sale this morning to big crowds and big cheers in New York City.

Eager buyers camped out all night with blankets and sleeping bags at the Apple store's Midtown location as well as the other four stores in Manhattan.

Lines at the store on Fifth Avenue stretched from 59th to 72nd streets.

The store let people in small groups starting at 8:00 a.m. Some are snatching phones to sell overseas, rather than for their own use.

Big crowds cheer and enter the Apple Store in Midtown Manhattan to get their hands on the new iPhone and iWatch.

The new phone boasts a bigger screen, longer-life battery, better camera and a faster processor.

Apple said they have broken all iPhone pre-order sales records. More than 4 million pre-orders for the phones were placed when they went on sale last Friday, according to Apple. A limited supply of phones will be available in its stores for walk-in customers today, but they'll likely go fast.

The iPhones are also in high demand from mobile carriers, many of whom projected delivery dates stretching into October.

One of the things that makes the iPhone so hot, aside from being the latest Apple product, is the larger screen sizes. The iPhone 6 is 4.7 inches,
while the iPhone 6 Plus measures 5.5 inches diagonally, giving Samsung, which has dominated the giant phone market, some competition.

The iPhones are also packed with new features, including "reachability." With a double touch, the display can slide down so users can reach "anything" at the top of the phone, an ideal feature for multitasking.

Samsung also will start taking orders for its large-screen Galaxy Note 4 smartphone Friday. The Note 4 will be available on Oct. 17.

It offers a screen measuring 5.7 inches diagonally, slightly larger than the 5.5 inches on Apple's new iPhone 6 Plus. The regular iPhone 6 has a 4.7-inch screen. Unlike the iPhone, Samsung's Note phones come with a stylus for note taking. The Note runs Google's Android system and has Samsung-produced extras such as the ability to show multiple apps on the same screen at once.