Analysts are expecting global sales of as many as 13 million Apple iPhones 6s and 6s Plus over their first weekend in stores.

NBC reports the new iPhones officially hit the first store shelves on Friday in Sydney, Australia, with streams of customers and a robot lining up to lay claim to models that have been described as not much different from last year's versions.

That's enough for the likes of marketing exec Lucy Kelly, whose like-named robot was among those braving all the elements for the right to make her purchase.

"I obviously have my work and other things to attend to and can't spend two days lining up so my boss at work suggested I take one of the robots down and use it to stand in my place," she said. "I love new gadgets. The new camera is meant to be amazing."

Overall, consumers are reported to have traveled from as far away as San Francisco and London to be on hand for the grand weekend. Company officials announced earlier this month that pre-order sales indicate buys are well ahead of last year's pace of 10 million over opening weekend.

Apple commenced taking pre-sales orders on Sept. 19 and purchases of the iPhone 6s Plus have been billed as particularly strong and exceeding all market projections. According to Forbes, both models have garnered critical acclaim, with such subtle changes from last year's model as a new "peek and pop" feature allowing for the easier flow of content specifically playing to rave reviews.

In addition, both the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus boast much larger screen sizes than any of their predecessors, but Computer World advises that based on pixels and screen size, the iPhone 6s Plus is the better option.

Apple shares recently surged by 2 percent amid reports of brisk opening sales, according to Re/code. Despite all the overwhelming demand, company officials vowed to have an ample supply of the models available once the products hit stores.

"We are working to catch up as quickly as we can, and we will have iPhone 6s Plus as well as iPhone 6s units available at Apple retail stores when they open next Friday," company officials added in a statement.