That's right, people, I'm among the first to get a hold of the iPhone! Intrepid reporter or marketing victim? You decide.
I've been an Apple devotee ever since my first MacIntosh in college. Corporate America gave me a PC, but I still have a Mac at home, plus multiple iPods -- a 2nd gen which I got after my 1st gen was stolen from my car, a mini, a (Red) nano and an itty bitty Shuffle for workouts.
When I heard that at long last, the rumors were true and that Apple was coming out with a phone, I was beside myself with excitement. That excitement turned to borderline insanity when I heard about the phone's magical features and saw the TV ads. I knew I'd have to do whatever it took to get my hands on one, even if they did leave smudgemarks everywhere. I asked for the day off from work and the countdown began.
Nothing anyone said could deter me. "Apple's 2nd generation is always better and cheaper." "The battery life will suck." "AT&T's EDGE is way slow." Who cares? In my mind, the iPhone was a thing of beauty....and magic. Have you seen the screen? Or, the scrolling? My God, I couldn't wait. One of the features I was most excited about was the visual voicemail. Rather than going through voicemails sequentially, not knowing who called, on the iPhone you see a list and you can pick which messages to listen to (or not). Oh, Steve Jobs called? I'd better listen to that one first.
Anyway, I started figuring out my plan of attack. Read up on reports of how the purchase process would work and tried to get some inside scoop. Everyone seems to know someone who knows someone at Apple, but unfortunately no one was getting hooked up anywhere (as far as I know). So I headed over to Walgreens and bought a folding beach chair for ten bucks, then started packing my "stakeout" bag with the following items:
- Sleeping bag (wasn't sure I'd need it, but it was in there just in case)
- CLIF Bars
- Smart Water
- Sunscreen
- Sunglasses
- Reading Material (Eat, Pray, Love, Gourmet, People, Blueprint and Self)
- Camera
I decided that the AT&T store on Union Street would be a better bet than the Apple store downtown. But when would I need to get in line? By Tuesday I was reading reports that people had already started lining up at the Apple store in New York. Luckily, when I did a drive-by on Union on Thursday after work, no one had camped out yet. Same when I went by again later that night after the "5 Core Skills for Mentally Fit Athletes" program at Sports Basement. Figured if no one was there by then, they probably weren't coming 'til the morning. Did another drive-by at 6am; still no one. Am I the only one in San Francisco who believes the hype? Finally, when I returned at 9:15, there were two guys sitting in front of the store. Woo hoo - I'm #3!
The next several hours weren't too bad. It was a nice day, I had my reading material and the crowd was congenial. Some were buying the phone for themselves; others were paid "sitters." I couldn't imagine waiting nine hours and not even having the phone to show for it at the end, but who I am I to judge? To each his own. Every so often, someone would walk by and say, "What are you waiting for?" At first it was fun and exciting to respond, "We're waiting for the iPhone!" After about the thirtieth person, not so much. Until we decided to have some fun with it. One guy asked, "What are you waiting for," and we responded, "the Apocalypse." Later, a woman asked, "Are you demonstrating against something here?" I responded, "Yes. Microsoft." (Just kidding, Bill.)
Periodically, we'd hear rumors and attempt to determine their validity. I'd read somewhere that each AT&T store would have 40 phones each (still not sure if true and I didn't stick around to find out). Someone else heard that when you went online to activate, you'd have to pay Apple $2,000 up front. Of course, not true. There were the stories of people on Craigslist offering to buy / sell iPhones for exorbitant amounts of money, and the nicer stories about those selling them on eBay and donating the proceeds to charity. At one point we heard that there were over 150 people at the Apple store downtown. Union Street was definitely the right move because by 3pm I don't think there were even 50 people there.
The AT&T guys (who were super-nice throughout the day, checking up on us, bringing bottles of water, but not giving up any info on how many phones they had) opened the doors at 6pm sharp. They were letting a few people in at a time, and I was in the first group. While others dilly-dallied over God knows what, I plunked down my plastic. (No, I don't want to try it out first, I've just waited nine hours! I want the phone!) So I literally was first on my block to buy the iPhone today.
One reason it was so easy is that, as you may have heard, the activation process happens at home, via iTunes, rather than in the store. What a godsend. Once I got home, it took me no more than six minutes to get up and running, then a little longer to download my music. The interface is as magical as I'd dreamed it would be, and I can't wait to play with my new toy this weekend!
Click on the thumbnail to see my iPhone Day 1 Album on Webshots:
by laurajf1
congratulations!!! how is it?
Posted by: ilana | July 01, 2007 at 06:51 PM