The first shipments landed over the weekend in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, L.A., NY and SF. AppleInsider notes that armed personnel reportedly hired by Apple were standing by at each location on Sunday to await the shipments. Here's more on the hype:

Apple management on Sunday began informing its retail personnel that beginning Monday, no cameras of any kind will be allowed in the back stockrooms of its retail outlets. The ban reportedly spans all cell phones -- regardless of whether they contain camera functionality -- and all personally owned Apple notebooks that feature built-in iSight video cameras. This past weekend, Apple retail stores nationwide began preparing for Friday's iPhone launch with new planogram layouts, employee attire, and window displays that feature 4-foot iPhone replicas equipped with massive LCD displays screens.

Employee attire? At last, a bidness story to compete with Paris. By the way, they're already lining up at several locations.