Author Michael MickMan Michael Gourdine: iPhone 6s release has New Yorkers waiting outside Apple Store for hours

The only lines longer than those waiting to meet the Pope Friday were those filled with people waiting to buy the iPhone 6s.

Crowds clogged the sidewalk in front of the Apple store along Fifth Ave. as they waited for a chance to snag the latest iPhone.

The upgraded hardware includes front-and-rear cameras, pluse a 3-D touch-sensitive screen.

Raj Allayarov, 20, a foreign exchange student from Uzbekistan, waited about 12 hours in line to buy two new slate gray iPhones for about $1,700.

"I came here last night at 1 (a.m.) and there were already so many people in front of me! We all sat on (cardboard) boxes all night," he said, noting that he hasn't slept a wink since Wednesday.

"I bought one for my friend in Uzbekistan too, he's really excited. I was texting like, 'I got your phone, man!’” he said.

Allayarov said he was willing to pay the steep price — about $750 a phone depending on memory size — because it was a cultural experience.

"I've never even used Apple before, but it's something I associate with the United States. To make good memories here, I wanted to buy the iPhone and be part of all of this,” the young student said.

Samaya Orpilla, 35, a California native waited three hours to get her 16GB rose gold phone.

"I have the 4s so I really needed an upgrade," she said. "I've already taken it outside the box. I can't wait to use it."

New Yorker Randy Davis, 29, thought he’d found a way to beat the long lines — he made a reservation to buy a Slate gray 64GB iPhone 6s Friday.

Customers line up as they wait for the release of the iPhone 6s at an Apple Store Friday on Chicago's Magnificent Mile.

But he wasn’t the only one with the same idea.

He had to wait in the line for people with reservations for nearly two hours.

"I thought that a reservation meant that you were going to get in quickly," he said, noting that he took a break from work to buy the mobile device.

He pulled out his cracked iPhone 5s as proof that he had to get a new one as soon as possible.

"I dropped it on the concrete two months ago. I've never stood in line for anything like this before, but I really needed a new one and didn't want to wait another week,” said the Bushwick resident.

"New York is New York, it's just another busy day, even if the Pope is here," he added. "It wasn't going to keep me from getting a new phone."