iPhone 5S Sale Queue Starts Four Days Early

Two Apple devotees have pitched camp outside the firm's flagship store to be the first in the queue for the new iPhone 5S.

The device does not go on sale until Friday, but by that point the enterprising teenagers are hoping to sell their spot for as much as £1,000.

One of the students, Gad Harari, 17, said: "There are crazy people who are willing to do that."

Gad, from Hendon, north London, is a familiar face outside the store as he has always been among the first in line to buy the new models of iPhone.

He took up his spot on Monday and said: "We are always among the first to get a new iPhone. I came down last night to be the first - this time we really wanted to be first."

He said he had already been offered £200 for his place, but reckoned people would offer more before they go on sale at 8am on Friday.

Gad and his friend Noah Green, also 17, and from Stanmore, in northwest London, have been sheltering from the wet weather under a green tent kitted out with technology, including one of Apple's MacBook laptops.

The 5S device, said to be twice as fast as its predecessor, sets itself apart from its competitors with its Touch ID feature. This allows users to unlock their phone with the touch of a finger.

Noah, who runs his own web business, said: "I'm really excited. It's going to be incredible, this launch. It's going to be the biggest yet.

"I collect Apple products. I pretty much have everything that Apple makes."

5S prices start at £549 and the cheaper 5C phone costs from £469.