Rich Coughlin wants to be Honolulu's first new iPhone customer so much that he and girlfriend Casey Verbeke crafted "first in line" T-shirts to wear today.

They started waiting in line yesterday afternoon for the new 3G phone when Coughlin, a Coast Guard yeoman, finished work and headed to Ala Moana Center's Apple store.

"There's just something about being first," Coughlin said with a grin. "I'm not worried about not getting one."

He had to leave his spot at 9 p.m. when the shopping center closed. But Coughlin and Verbeke planned to be back by 4:30 this morning to reclaim that first-in-line spot when other devotees are expected to join the line and the mall opens to the public at 5 a.m.

He's optimistic that he can hold on to that first spot. By yesterday afternoon, folks were stopping by to chat with him but no one was trying to elbow him out.

Apple stores across the country are opening early — at 8 a.m. — to roll out the new phone.

Yes, Coughlin's a devout Mac user eager to switch to the latest iPhone technology. But he said the best new thing is likely to be the faster Internet. "There's nothing that special about the new iPhone," he said.

He'd be happy to buy one for Verbeke but said she's sticking with the cellular company that most of her family favors because it's a whole lot cheaper.

Center spokesman Matthew Derby said Ala Moana is prepared for a line of technophiles, perhaps one to rival last June's iPhone debut when the line of several hundred people wrapped around Macy's.

"We don't know how many," he said. "We're anticipating a pretty nice crowd." Derby said the mall typically bans overnight lines because of "safety and security" concerns.

Derby said the center expects people to bring umbrellas, towels or beachmats but discourages bulky items.

Coughlin already was getting a lot of drop-by traffic at the mall yesterday afternoon from folks who have seen him seated outside the store, enjoying the free Wi-Fi hot spot, cruising the Internet on his first-generation iPhone.

The other Hawai'i Apple store is at Kahala Mall where the line can begin to form inside from 6 a.m., said spokeswoman Kelly Kauinana. She said the mall doors will open at 6 a.m. as usual but no chairs, beach mats and coolers will be permitted in line.

Apple said the new phones will be available at more than 1,800 AT&T locations across the United States but Kahala spokeswoman Kauinana said they will not be for sale at the kiosk at the mall today.

An Apple employee who responds to media inquiries said the company does not release information about the number of iPhones offered for sale at a launch.

The price is the same in Hawai'i as other U.S. markets.

Coughlin said this is only the second time he camped in a line to buy something new. The first was in Detroit to get a Nintendo Wii. And that was a Christmas present for his younger siblings.