The wait is over, the Shanghai Apple store is officially open -- and it has the crowds to prove it.

At 10am the cylindrical 40-foot glass store entrance next to Shanghai’s International Financial Center (IFC) Mall threw open its doors to the cheers of the thousands of fans who waited in a line which circled the plaza, all under the watchful eyes of the 175 blue-clad Apple store employees.

Cheering as they came upstairs to greet the crowd, the Apple employees, ascended from the underground store -- Apple’s 295th and now the largest in Asia -- like cheerleaders, yelling: “This is Apple! We are apple!” and then “Apple Shanghai 等你来” [Apple Shanghai waits for you to come.] The employees interacted with the crowd handing out high fives before starting a wave with those waiting in line.

Who needs to watch World Cup action when there’s an Apple Store opening?

Fully stocked, the 1,500 square meter-store offers a wide variety Macs, iPods and iPhones for customers to play with, as well as the world's largest Genius Bar. The store also features China's first Briefing Room for free business workshops. Product prices at the Shanghai stores are the same as those at the Beijing store, Apple’s first China store which opened in the summer 2008.

The first person on line was 27-year-old, Jilin Province native who goes by the name 企鹅 (Qi'e, Penguin). He had been waiting over 60 hours by the time he entered the store. Once Qi'e had secured his place in line, he was able to leave for up to an hour at a time to get food or use the restroom.

Well, was it all worth it?

“To be first in line for the Apple Shanghai store opening has been by dream,” Qi'e says. “When the Apple Beijing store opened, I missed it because I was sick, but here I can fulfill my dream of being the first person into the Apple Store.”

Although he wasn’t sure which item he would play with first, he was just happy to be there. “It’s about feeling the atmosphere of the opening, because this is by far the biggest and best Apple Store in China.”

Apple Store openings are frequently reserved for the company’s young fan base who are happy to stand for hours on line. However, one member of the Shanghai crowd stood out, 81-year-old Shanghai native Mr Gao. He had only waited a few hours, but he was welcomed quickly inside by Apple employees happy to see the enthusiasm spread to China’s older generation.

As for why he braved the crowds and Shanghai’s infamous summer heat to see the store, his answer is simply, “I heard so much about this place, I just wanted to look around.”

For those who still can bring themselves to hop over the river -- or brave the crowds we’re sure will inhabit the store for weeks to come -- a second Shanghai Apple Store is under construction in Hong Kong Plaza and is rumored to be opening later this summer with a possible third Shanghai store to follow.

相关报道（转自新闻晨报）

今天上午，距离苹果浦东旗舰店开幕还有10分钟，几十名身着蓝色T恤的店员就已出现在浦东下沉式广场，绕着苹果柱欢呼“Are you ready？ Apple ShanghaiGoGoGo”，引发了整个广场“苹果迷”的轰动。

苹果浦东旗舰店计划今日上午10点开业，但记者早上8点赶到店门口时，就已经是里三层外三层了。记者目测了一下，大概有2000米长的队伍。而其中最疯狂的当属来自延吉的齐先生，他已经在这等候了三天。 “我非常荣幸能够作为第一个体验的人。 ”齐先生自豪地举起了他001号的等候号码。

店员向记者介绍，昨晚就已经有300多名“苹果迷”在此等候了。

上午10点，店门终于对“苹果迷”敞开！首批顾客在店员们的欢呼和簇拥下走进了店内，刚刚还空空如也的店内瞬间欢声雷动。