People sometimes camp out for the new year sales (OK, there may be a big discount on some items), but it's pretty similar.
It may well be the case that with 'new' item hype, it's (mostly) younger people willing to spend time in the queue - whether the latest release of some game, phone or [OK, probably only for the HP series] book.
No, you won't find me there, but I'm sure at some time or other I'd be willing to spend time in a similar queue, to have a higher than average chance of getting something (probably far more likely if it was for a significant discount, than for a product which will be at the same price on the day as it would be ordered online and with just a few days delay).
Only a tiny part of me remembers seeing people trampled under foot in some 'new year sales' (or Black Friday sales, the day after Thanksgiving, in USA) and makes me glad I wasn't in that crowd!
Having seen an article suggesting Apple makes 400+ in profit for even the 16GB iPhone 5, it's no wonder the Apple Store staff can be cheering on the happy buyers and 'high fiving' them, probably thinking of their commission bonus!
I just think it's a bit sad that because of a few enthusiasts (and let's face it, many in the media are Apple users too), this one brand gets completely free publicity because of their ardent supporters going a bit further than most.
If there was an 'Android Outlet' (in case Apple sues over the word 'Store'!) I expect there would be a similar 'rush' but maybe 4 times as often (because of the various makers such as HTC, Sony, and Samsung, for phones, there'd be plenty more 'new model' days), and make the trend less newsworthy.