File:Germany - Thousands applaud Berlin's first Apple store

Around 3,000 people queued outside the grand opening of Berlin's first Apple store in the shopping district of Kurfürstendamm in west Berlin on Friday. Some fans had been waiting in line for 35 hours for the flagship opening.

200 Apple employees speaking 12 different languages and from 20 nationalities reportedly launched the event, along with several dozen security agents and scores of media. The new Ku'Damm store is Apple's 11th in Germany, signalling the growing popularity of Apple products such as the iPad and iPhone in the lucrative German market.

Although the retail storefront is located in a historic building, the design remains in line with Apple's trademark minimalist approach, with only two small Apple logos mounted on the front to attract customers. The store also features a 360-degree Genius Bar, Apple's very own tech support station found in every one of its retail stores. Two giant displays of Apple's latest smartphone, the iPhone 5, grace onlookers from the store windows.