iPhone 6 & iPhone 6 Plus pre-orders hit problems

Pre-orders for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus open today, but Apple fans are up in arms about the fact they've been unable to access the firm's online store this morning to request one.

As confirmed by Apple CEO Tim Cook on Tuesday, pre-orders for the 4.7in iPhone 6 and the 5.5in iPhone 6 Plus phablet open today, with the devices set to go on general release next Friday.

Anxious iPhone buyers have inundated social media sites today, though, with complaints about the online Apple Store being down since midnight, preventing them from ordering one directly from the firm.

The Apple Store regularly shuts down ahead of a new product release for several hours, and at the time of writing the site was displaying the firm's usual "We'll be right back" message.

However, some users claim to have been able to access the store via an iOS app, suggesting the desktop version of the site has been late to open on pre-order day.

And, when users have made it on to the site, some claim to have waited up to an hour to have their pre-order request accepted, or to have encountered errors when trying to do so.

The devices are also available to pre-order via UK carriers, including Vodafone, O2, Three and EE today, as well as Phones 4U.

That being said, the EE and O2 sites were under "maintenance" this morning, and Three said it was planning to open up the devices for pre-ordering this afternoon.

Meanwhile, Phones 4U and Vodafone appear to be accepting pre-orders this morning.

The carriers have also revealed the UK pricing for the device. A thorough breakdown of just how much an iPhone 6 will cost you can be found here.