If you're one of the many who has
already picked up an iPhone 3G (or will be getting one pretty soon), are you also one of the many who already had an iPhone? Old man iPhone 1.0, 2G, whatever you want to call it?
I am among these ranks too and have been debating forever now on what to do with my old phone, now that I am sporting a hot new fingerprint-free iPhone 3G.
Whenever hot new products are announced (especially with Apple) we all get really excited and worked into a tizzy. Case in point: the
iPhone launch. You most likely forked over your cash before the launch to get your dream gadget preordered, making sure it was in your hot little hands the first day.
Yes, we attended the
iPhone launch at the Apple Store in downtown San Francisco and a neighboring AT&T store. No, we did not buy one on launch day. At the time, waiting for the crowd to die down seemed like a good idea (two days spent interviewing the
people in line turned out to be a real energy blaster).
The iPhone has only been on the market since last Friday, and many are still struggling to get their hands on one. (The downtown SF Apple store continues to put out new shipments every morning at 9 am and sells out before noon. The local AT&T stores are selling them online or promising to ship them priority mail.) So how many have been sold?
I'm usually opposed to dividing the sexes when it comes to gadget talk, but while wandering the line at last week's
iPhone launch I couldn't help but notice the crowd was lacking a strong feminine presence. In fact, I estimate that for every 30 men in line there was one woman. It's a phenomenon I can't easily explain without falling into an archaic and general stereotype that men care more about gadgets while women care more about shopping for say, shoes.
The lines, media frenzy and general geekiness surrounding last Friday's
iPhone launch were nothing less of awe-inspiring. I can honestly say I have never seen 1,000 people ogling a single gadget with such curiosity, adoration and desire. While I spent the day
reporting from the Apple Store in downtown San Francisco, I asked any of you who were participating in the madness to share your stories as well.
For those of you who are decidedly anti-iPhone and had to suffer through the
parodies,
strategies and general chatter, I sincerely apologize for the pain you must have endured this past week. For those of you who
battled the lines, camped out and sat patiently at your desk until you could order online- congrats! The iPhone has officially been released on both coasts and while I was unable to catch New York's
Greg Packer get his, I was able to catch the San Francisco campers getting theirs.
Wowaweewah! It has been months, weeks, hours, days and now minutes, waiting for the release of the most talked about gadget since the invention of two-way radio, errrrr iPod. The
iPhone has finally fallen into the hands of excited and anxious consumers all over the country.
1:15 pm: SFSU student Amanda Ryvarczyk may not have the prime ticket spot in front of the Apple store like
Jerry Taylor, but she did score a front row seat at the AT&T/Cingular store just up the street. Ryvarczyk and friend J. Martin (shown below) headed out to the Apple store in downtown San Francisco at 2:30 am last night and decided to swap their No.
1:00 pm: The line at San Francisco's downtown Apple store has more than doubled since
9:45 this morning, with nearly 200 people beginning to bake in the midday sun. There's nothing spectacular to report, except for the fact that most people look bored and 6 pm seems weeks away. There's a giant sign on the front of the Apple Store saying it will be closed from 2 to 6 today so employees can "get ready."
