iPhone Odyssey

Yes yes. New iPhones for everyone. I'm sorry, but I've come to rely on the little bugger, a little to much.

Anyway, let me answer a question right up front: did I have to get an iPhone 3G today? The answer, most decidedly, is no. No I did not. Only a fool waits in line for six hours. And a fool, today, I was.

Again, it's not that I had to have it today. I could have waited three days, walked into the Apple Store, bought it, and walked out in about 30 minutes. No. It's more to do with the challenge. And, honestly, I had fun. I met some great people and had some laughs. Let's talk about that:

I started this morning about 7:30am. I decided that I would sneak into the local AT&T store, grab an iPhone, and be home by 9am. This plan went out the window as I crested the bridge over the Chicago river at Fullerton, and saw the line which was about four store fronts long at the mini-mall there. After a brief: "Am I really going to do this today" moment, I got in line. I waited there for about 15 minutes until one of the fine AT&T representatives walked down the line. She was asked how many iPhones they had in stock. Her response? "I'm not allowed to tell you."

Really? How about you do a quick count and don't waste my time. Oh, I knew that she meant. And she also said: "Don't worry, you can order it at the store if we run out..." I'm not waiting in line for a couple hours to order the damn thing. I can come back in two days.

No. Hell no. I left and headed to the Apple Store.

Now, first, I passed the AT&T store on Grand. The atmosphere felt a little like armageddon, there was desperation in the air. But, walked passed another 100+foot line to the Apple Store. I wasn't sure what I was going to find when I got there, I was hoping they'd have their shit together though.

First, I saw the store, then I saw some umbrellas out front, and lastly, the line. It went two and a half blocks down the side of the store. I posted myself at the end of the line at 9am, hoping it would move quickly.

Eventually, AT&T regfugees began to arrive. They told tales of only 50 iPhones per store, and hours of waiting for nothing. A lady came by saying that one AT&T store had told them they were all out of iPhones, sending people fleeing, only to re-announce later that they had, in fact, miscounted and there were some left.

The Apple Store line barely moved. They were letting 20 or so people in at a time to get iPhones, although it turned out to be more of a 4, or 6, or whatever, arrangement. Some Apple employees came down the line and answered questions about rate plans, or showing off the new iPhone. Then they brough water bottles out. The California Pizza place began sending employees out with menus, offering 20% off and free delivery (which was actually the poor girl wandering up and down the line yelling a name). Other companies came by and gave up free iced tea and other stuff.

At one point, Greenpeace tried to make the line work for them. Didn't happen. The guy was heckled and both he, and his binder full of polar bear pictures, were sent packing.

Far more comforting, however, was the somewhat routine arrival of FedEx Freight trucks which we all assumed were packed with iPhones (the employees kept telling us there was no danger of them running out). So, we had that going for us.

Another interesting thing. People walking by the line openly expressed their dissaproval. From the smirking shake of the head, to the outright laughter. I must have been wearing my "Hey! Ask me why I am standing in the line!" shirt, because I got asked about a dozen people by, mostly, old ladies. The most telling was a woman with an easter European accent who merely shook her head when I explained to her what an iPhone was. I can only imagine that, at some point, in her past a line like the one I was standing in was probably for something a bit more important than lining Steve Jobs pockets.

Yes. I said it was ridiculous.

Anyway, at 2:30pm I got to the front door. And you know what was inside? Another line! Followed by a que, followed by, finally, getting to the point where it was you and an employee, and a computer. You got your iPhone, they got in touch with AT&T and you were set. Oh, except for my corporate discount which I wasn't getting (iPhone's don't qualify for the discount). When the Apple guy saw it on the account he told me I had to either go to the AT&T Store to purchase it, or call them and get it taken off. So, I'm sitting there, having waited almost 6 hours, with the damn thing in front of me, and a discount that I wasn't getting is keeping me from activating it. Now, it could have been much, much worse. But the short version is I called AT&T, they removed the discount, and it took about four minutes. But for a minute there, I thought I was going to have to commit homocide.

And now, I have a shiney new iPhone 3G. And I waited 6 hours in line for it. I can't say I regret it. It was a pretty fun experience all said and told. And in the future, where iPhones are concerned, I have also learned my lesson: Apple Store, or nothing.