iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus: New Apple smartphones go on sale around the world

Early reports suggest that the 5.5-inch display of the bigger iPhone 6 Plus has hit the spot for consumers - dragging fans away from Android

After unveiling the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus last week in California, Apple’s new smartphone finally go on sale around the world – with customers in Australia the first to get their hands on them.

Early reports say that the larger device – the iPhone 6 Plus – is in particular demand with fans keen to get their hands on Apple’s biggest device yet.

With its 5.5-inch display the iPhone 6 Plus is widely seen as Apple’s first foray into the phablet market: large-screen devices pioneered by rival Samsung that have proven especially popular in the Asian Pacific region.

The 6 Plus has already been suffering from shipping delays from customers who pre-ordered the device, and a report by RBC Capital Markets found that “26 percent of respondents who intend to purchase an iPhone are new” with the majority moving over from Android.

A report by the Wall Street Journal of the first Apple customers in Australia (although not with one unlucky shopper in Perth who was the first to buy the iPhone – and drop it) also suggests that the 6 Plus’s bigger screen was the main attraction.

"Apple customers wanted bigger screens and now they have finally done it,” one early bird customer told the paper. "You don't have to pinch and zoom with emails and Web pages."

The launch of the new iPhones comes hot on the heels of iOS 8 - Apple's latest mobile operating system, which was available for download from Wednesday night. (Click to read our guide on how to install iOS 8.)