This was the launch of the iPhone 5 at the Apple store in New York

Apart from what you believe about the iPhone 5 and its features, the harsh truth is that people are going to buy the device. Today was the first day that Apple stores in different parts of the United States and eight other countries put the new Apple cell phone on sale, and as is tradition, there were long lines of people waiting to buy it.

Stores open at 8 a.m. local time. Eric Jue, a senior manager at iPhone, told The New York Times that there were about 1,300 people outside the iconic Fifth Avenue store.

Gene Munster, an analyst at Piper Jaffray, did some early calculations to compare demand for the iPhone 5 with the launch of the 4S last year. The analyst counted 775 people in the Fifth Avenue store, an increase of 68% compared to the launch of the iPhone 4S.

An ENTER.CO user was at the iPhone 5 launch in New York, and we've got the scoop on the photos.