Veteran iPhone customer Ryan Feinberg of Somerville is at the front of the line almost every year for his new gadget. "This year it's all about the bigger screen," he said. Feinberg buys the new phone the first day it comes out for full price, and then sells the older version on Craigslist to make it more affordable.

He arrived at 10:30 a.m. Thursday and was eighth in line; he arrived at 7:30 p.m. the night before the iPhone 4S release and was one of the first. "The demand for the preorders probably made more people come," he said.