With the Japanese launch of Apple Inc.'s iPhone set for Friday, signs that the hype was building began emerging Wednesday at Softbank's flagship store in Tokyo's Omotesando district.

About 15 people were camping out in the morning in front of the store in the ritzy shopping district to make sure they would be one of the first to get the slick new phone, which debuted in the United States in June 2007 and broke the 1 million unit sales mark in a mere 74 days.

Some of the people said they had been there since Tuesday.