The frenzy has begun. Asia is getting iPhone madness, despite freezing temperatures, lines of people are gathering to grab the new 3G iPhone scheduled for release around the world on Friday, July 11th.

About 20 people were lined up outside Softbank Corp's flagship mobile store in Tokyo on Wednesday morning. At the front of the line there was a sign reading "We love iPhone." Softbank Corp is Japan's third-largest mobile carrier and will begin selling the iPhone at 7am on Friday

New Zealanders, by virtue of their geographic location, will be the first to be able to purchase the new iPhone. Four have already started to camp out, complete with sleeping bags and a small tent desperate to be the first in line outside a Vodafone store in Aukland. When the clock hits 12.01am local time Friday they will be the first in the world to get the much coveted 3G phone.

"I'm really just doing it to be able to say that I'm the first one in the world with one of these phones," 22-year-old student Jonny Gladwell told the New Zealand Herald.

Demand for pricing information has been so intense that Vodafone's site was unable to cope with demand. Kiwi's will be able to get a sweet deal with the iPhone which will be selling for as little as $150 with a two-year service contract.

Little consolation for the poor souls eagerly awaiting iPhone-day in Belgium. They are going to be hit with $996 price tag for the 16MB version. Apparently, due to a local laws, it is illegal to sell a product that is leveraged against a subsidy for another product. Somehow, I doubt this will deter the hard-core Apple-heads.

The initial 22 countries in the launch should expand to 70 countries by the end of the year, which means everyone and his uncle will have the 3G phone which translates to big bucks for he Cuppertino company.