The wait for the new iPhone, which is first available today at 6 p.m., has officially begun in Southwest Florida.

Well, actually, it started Thursday morning around 9.

Rease Wagner, 19, of Naples, has been hanging around the Apple Store in Coconut Point mall in Estero. He hasn’t exactly been waiting in a line for the highly-anticipated phone quite yet.

He’s been driving by, peering out his window and nonchalantly walking by the store, waiting for the right moment to strike with a patience no one else, up until now, has had the stamina to exert.

“I’m waiting for someone to show up,” said a disappointed Wagner. “It’ll probably be raining so it will be really cool out. I’ve got a cooler with drinks, I got a rain jacket if it rains and that’s basically it.”

Wagner’s friend Will Scrivens, 20, is keeping him company, ensuring bathroom breaks don’t force the pair out of line.

“I’m having fun just watching,” said Scrivens, a former football star at Barron Collier High School. “It’s just funny, gives you something to do.”

According to Wagner, camping out overnight might turn out to be a problem. He had been informed that someone set up a tent outside the Apple Store on Wednesday but Coconut Point mall officials ordered them off the property, Wagner said.

“I don’t know what is going to happen,” Wagner said. “I’m not going to have a tent. I plan on just staying in my car.”

At Waterside Shops in Naples, where there is another Apple store, officials braced for today’s expected rush.

Waterside management prohibited shoppers from camping out until 6 a.m. today.

“It’s for their safety,” said Annette Alvarez, Waterside Shops general manager. “We just want to make sure that they’re comfortable and have a great experience while they’re here.”

A section of the outdoor mall will be roped off for people to wait so that the stores and patrons not involved in the iPhone craze won’t be bothered.

“We don’t want to disturb any others,” Alvarez said.

Apple will be supplying iPhone fanatics with water while they wait in line. Today’s forecast calls for temperatures hovering near 90 and scattered showers.

Starbucks Manager Eric Corney plans to provide food and drink samples to customers in line throughout the day.

Waterside Shops said it is committed to supporting Apple and is planning for today to be orderly, organized and smooth.

AT&T, which has an exclusive contract to provide service for the device, is touting the launch as the biggest one in the history of the cellular industry.

According to AT&T spokeswoman Katie Starling, the company received over a million Web site inquiries on the device in January alone. She said that while nobody had lined up at the nine area stores where the phone can be purchased Thursday afternoon, “I think that when we open the doors tomorrow that we will have a very large crowd eagerly awaiting the iPhone.”

Todd Maurer, AT&T spokesperson for Southwest Florida, said his stores had been receiving calls from customers all day asking when they can line up Friday morning.

All AT&T stores where the phone will be sold will close at 4:30 p.m. Friday just before the launch.

Apple stores will also sell the iPhone, which can only be activated with Apple’s iTunes software on the owner’s personal, Internet-connected computer. The company’s stores will close at 2 p.m. before the launch.

No one knows how many iPhones, which will cost $500 for a 4 GB model and $600 for an 8 GB model, will be available when the doors open.

“We will make sure that we have a large inventory for our customers,” said Starling on Thursday. “We will make sure that we get an iPhone in the hands of our customers over time.”

“I need a cell phone, my plan’s up soon and I can’t stand Sprint,” said Wagner of his reasons for camping out. “This is the only phone that really appeals to me. It’s pretty neat. It’s different. It’s unique and if you don’t get it now, how long will it be before a second chance comes around?”

The iPhone is being hyped by Apple as its best iPod and the best e-mail capable phone ever created.

Service plans for the phone, which all include unlimited internet access and 200 text messages, come in increments of 450, 900, and 1,350 minutes at a cost of $59.99, $79.99 and $99.99 a month, respectively. Extra text messages can be purchased for an additional monthly fee.

Deal breaker

Don’t want to wait until the end of your current wireless contract to get an iPhone? The decked-out, AT&T-only device can be had immediately for an extra contract cancellation fee.

If you have more than four months left on your contract, paying the fee may be your best option. Some companies may have less-costlier options, such as reducing your contract to the lowest-cost plan. Contact your provider for more information.

Contract Cancellation Fees:

• Alltel – $200

• Sprint – $200

• Verizon – $175

• T-Mobile - $200

• Metro PCS- No contract, no fee

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Staff Writer Vanessa Rozier contributed to this report.

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Locations within 20 miles of Bonita Springs where the phone will be available:

• Two area Apple Stores at Waterside Shops in Naples and Coconut Point Mall in Estero.

• Eight AT&T stores in the area, including those located at:

• 7207 Radio Road in Naples

• 2083 9th Street N. in Naples

• 5048 N. Tamiami Trail in Naples

• 4951-2 S. Cleveland Ave. in Fort Myers

• 14680 S. Tamiami Trail in Fort Myers

• 10089 Gulf Center Dr in Fort Myers at Gulf Coast Town Center

• 1631 Del Prado Blvd in Cape Coral