Reuters is reporting that "hundreds" of Apple fans braved rain and wind in the Germany last night to be the first folk in Europe to officially get their hands on the iPhone.

A few hundred people lined up at special opening of a T-Mobile shop in Cologne to buy the device at midnight before the phone goes on sale across the country later in the day.

T-Mobile staff gave out blankets, umbrellas hot drinks and food as the queue grew and the eager customers where cheered and applauded by sales staff when they entered the store.

T-Mobile would not discuss how many units it expected to shift as it launches in Germany, nor stock levels, saying only: "We have plenty".

Here in the UK, the first iQueuers arrived at 8.30am at Apple's Regent Street Store for a long, cold, night's wait for the Apple mobile.

>> News - UK iPhone launch
>> Via - Reuters