After years of waiting, Israelis had the opportunity to buy Apple's iPhone beginning midnight Thursday – and Pelephone and Cellcom, which opened two of its flagship stores to accommodate the huge crowds that were expected. But the crowds failed to materialize – with only several dozen customers coming to buy the device during the late night hours.

Orange, which is also selling the iPhone, did not open a branch especially for sale of the device, which goes on sale in all its stores Thursday morning. According to Orange officials, over 20,000 people have ordered the device.