lovely

first or one or none

On June 15th, I managed to secure two reservations for in-store pickups for new Iphone 4’s… one for me here in town, and one in LA for the traveling Mr. M. If I could have gotten through the system and had one sent home… I would have… but the computer gods were against me and all I got was a silly email to head to a store on Thursday the 24th to get my phone.
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I saw the early morning lines on TV. I heard stories of friends who waited 6 hours in line to pick up their “reserved” phone on facebook. I saw tweets and blogs about what people endured to get a phone. And then… after work, I picked up Baby M and headed to the mall to see what the situation was for myself. By 7:30pm, there were 200+ people in the “non reserved” line and over 150 in the “reserved” lineup outside the mall’s Apple store. I went into a few other stores, and the employees told me that those same people had been there all day, and would CHEER everytime a person from their line was allowed in. ALL DAY LONG!!! Luckily, when I joined the end of the line (with my stroller), a nice Apple lady came over and offered me a ticket to hold my phone for an additional day to pick up tomorrow. I jumped at the chance and left the mall the second I had the ticket in my hand. And yet, no one else in the line budged. They continued to stand there, determined to get their phone on release day… even if that meant leaving the mall after 10pm. In my mind, they were crazier than the people who slept out to get their new phones!
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Which begs the question… what type of person are you? Do you have to have the newest/latest/greatest thing in your hands the second it comes out? Do you have to see movies on opening night? Will you just die if you’re not watching a TV season finale LIVE? Or can you wait a few days and just be one of the crowd? Or… maybe you’re the type that hates even being associated with anything that has huge hype and build-up  and avoid things like at all costs?
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It looks like I’m in the “patient but still want it” group, as shown by my efforts yesterday. I didn’t need to be a member of the cool club on the first day… but I still want my goodies! The idea of having a video camera at all times is just drool-worthy (babies make you crazy, remember?) and my OG phone will barely hold a 3 hour charge right now. But do I need it today? Nah… just thought I’d try and get the one I thought I had. But if my efforts fail again, we’re ordering them online and waiting 3 weeks to get them. I mean 1,500,000 people have them in their hands right now…. will I really be THAT special if I get it during the first few days?
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5 Comments

  • Stephanie

    We were in Mexico when the whole ordering fiasco happened. Usually we can’t wait to get the new technology, but this time we said forget it. Our will be arriving in the mail sometime mid-July and, for once, it doesn’t even bother me to not be first with the new iPhone in hand.

  • Julie

    There is NO way I would/could wait in line to be the first of 2 million. I am getting the new iPhone 4, but waiting with my sister until we are both eligible (August 8). That way, they will hopefully be more stocked, and I won’t have to pay $400 out of pocket just to have it early. I can’t wait though!

  • Disgruntled Julie

    I do not understand the craze, at all. You couldn’t PAY me enough (okay, maybe I’d do it for $100,000!) to stand in line all day for a PHONE. I also didn’t understand the people showing up to work 6 hours late because they had to just keep hitting refresh on the day of the initial order. I love my iPhone, but I neither felt the need to jump at this newest one, nor would I have missed work, stood outside all day, etc. My time is the most valuable thing to me, far more so than being the first person with the newest gadget!

  • StefK

    Well, as you know I did wait 6 hours in line for my iPhone on Thursday, but it was absolutely not because I had to have it on the very first day. If given the opportunity to pick it up the next day (or even a few days later), I would’ve gladly taken it. The way I understood it, I stood in line for my pre-ordered phone right then, or I wasn’t getting on for months. I don’t understand the have-to-have-it-the-day-it-comes-out craze. Especially as I stood in that line and watched person after person after person ahead of me walk out with their phones, it wasn’t like I felt somehow special to have/get the same phone they all had…I just didn’t want to wait months. If I had it to do over again though, I would’ve gotten in line at 8pm with food, water, a book, a buddy to talk to (I was all by myself, my phone died, I had skipped breakfast thinking I’d be done in time to eat around 10am but didn’t finish up until 1:30pm…it all just plain sucked). I’m so glad you had a much more positive experience. How are you loving your phone now??

  • EP

    LOL! I waited 9 months for my Mini Cooper S. I am not sure what that makes me :) Definitely patient I guess. But there are plenty of “cool” things that everyone has that I don’t have, and don’t care about. I’m impatient for some things and could care less about others, like iPhones.

    Do you like it??