iPhone 5S flies off the shelves as fights break out

Less than 24 hours after the iPhone 5S went on sale across nine countries, Apple had sold out its entire September stock, leading to on street fighting in California.

A plan to hire homeless people to queue for the eagerly anticipated smartphone back-fired in Pasedena, California, when scores of brawls broke out outside of Apple stores.

Hired by businessman to wait in line, two homeless guys were arrested for fighting, with at least 200 people queuing for several days outside the store.

Speaking to the LA Times, homeless man Dominoe Moody claims he was driven ten miles to stand and queue for the device after being promised US$40 for his troubles.

"It didn't go right. I stood out here all night," Moody told the newspaper.

And with the tech giant's US online store showing the earliest available date to ship the smartphone as next month, fans in the UK, France and Germany also look set to wait.

Following the surge, analysts are predicting the Cupertino firm to shift even more during the coming months, with some estimating as many as eight million phones will be sold during the opening weekend.

Labelled as a "forward thinking" iPhone, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing Philip Schiller claims the device "sets a new standard for smartphones."

The iPhone 5C however, Apple's lower-end smartphone, is available within 24 hours after times had dropped to between three to seven working days.