As someone who works ( and plays ) in the Mac industriousness , I ’ve been to many of Apple ’s retail locating around the U.S. , but I ’ve never been there with those loyal Mac enthusiasts who brave the nighttime elements to be “ the first ” onopening daytime . ( I never tent out for concert tickets in high schooltime , either , so this should n’t think over poorly on my dedication to the platform . ) Since the San Francisco Apple store is in my home city , I forecast this was my chance … until I fell asleep Friday eventide and woke up at 6 a.m. Saturday , still at plate .
I ’d missed my dead reckoning at Apple Store glory , but that did n’t mean I had to overlook everything . I rush out the door , hoping to be able-bodied to talk to some of the Mac lovers in line and perhaps be there ahead of time enough to get a ” favorable Bag . ”
I made it to the depot at around 6:30 a.m. , which put me around 200th in stemma — a sure shot for a Lucky Bag . However , my journalistic sensibility sound off in as I realized that if I digest in line I would n’t be able to spill the beans to the consecrated Apple Store shoppers at the front of the stemma . I abandon my Lucky Bag quest , and my daub at the end of the line , and walked the stop and a one-half to the other end .
Person # 1 was a Bay Area local , Ulan McKnight , who had arrive Thursday evening and endured the cold and moisten to earn the honor of “ first client ” ( see ourevent picturesfor his grand incoming ) . Ulan and his untested apprentice , Lovel , were n’t alone long , though , as other Mac user begin to join them early Friday morning . fit in to Gary Allen , upholder of theifo Apple Storewebsite and another of the first few people in line , around 120 people had collect by midnight Friday dark , take a shit this the heavy “ overnight ” crowd foranyApple shop opening . ( The Tokyo fund had much swelled crowd by the meter the store open up , but fewer masses were there the dark before . )
By other Saturday cockcrow , the crowd had begin to grow at a much quicker charge per unit . The “ unofficial ” counts as the first light work up were :
As I was talking to McKnight and other people near the front of the line of merchandise , the question everyone seemed to ask them — besides “ What are you waiting in wrinkle for ? ” — was “ Why do people camp out for an Apple Store opening ? ” If you ’d been understand the Mac press the latter part of last week , you might have propose it was to get one of the mysterious Lucky Bags . But despite all the ballyhoo about the Bags , a expert number of the people toward the front of the line were n’t even plan on buying one ; in fact , some had n’t even learn about the Lucky Bags until they get in line . ( To be fair , the first “ Lucky Bag ” auction bridge on ebay started a few second after noon on Saturday , so some mass clearly know about them and know on the dot what they were going to do with them . It did n’t assist that Apple was allowing people to buy more than one Bag once they got inside . )
But it ’s not just the store ; according to many of those in air , it ’s also the “ community ” that Apple Store openings engender . Mac users have always been a smaller , more closely cockle group than their Windows counterparts , and , like user group , Apple Store opening are one of the events where people can pass time with fellow Mac drug user just as passionate about the political platform . As McKnight put it ( and I ’m paraphrasing here , as in my crazy kick out the door , I left my notebook computer at home and was reduce to bring notes on my business scorecard ) , “ It ’s not really the store ; it ’s all the people sit down here [ in line ] — just hanging out . ”
Those in line leave me with plenty of examples of this “ residential district ” in action . Steve Cocks , who drove to San Francisco from Orange County , CA for the opening and was also one of the first few multitude in pedigree , grade a bunch of pizzas Friday Nox and passed them down the line of credit . ( I was rummy about that phone call : “ Yes , that ’s right , I’d like them delivered to the sidewalk outside the Apple Store on Stockton and Ellis . Yes , I know it ’s closed . Yes , the sidewalk . ” ) Early Saturday morning , someone further back in line reciprocate , buying a few dozen doughnut for those in front . chocolate and food runs were common .
Line - stander even shared net connexion . Although Apple left their AirPort Base Stations on at Nox so those in air could get Internet memory access , at a certain point in time the line outstretched the range of the wireless connection . To help those farther back in the line , someone who was still in range enable cyberspace Sharing on their PowerBook and share their signal via Ethernet . During the dark , several people even take out their cars up to the curbing so people could charge their laptop computer .
In contrast to those in line was the dateless lead of people wonder what the line was for . According to the citizenry I talked to , many passersby “ just did n’t get it , ” staring in skepticism when told that citizenry were waiting for a store to open . unfit were those who made disparaging comment . “ After awhile you start nominate things up , ” said McKnight , company by the Word of a friend . “ And when you have a 13 - twelvemonth - old with you , he starts telling people we ’re here because everything ’s 50 % off to the first 500 people . ” Cocks added , “ So there are in all likelihood a lot of people way back in course who think they ’re getting a G5 for a big rebate — and the further back you get , the openhanded the bruit discount . ”
Others commented that even though Macs have become more “ satisfactory ” to the mainstream over the past couple years , there ’s still a electronegative reaction among many non - Mac users when they see people stand in line for an Apple Store to open . Yet one line - stander pointed to the Virgin MegaStore across the street , noting that if there were concert ticket going on sale , or a live performance , no one would intend twice about 500 people standing in line .
Whether you “ get it ” or not , after verbalise with a good act of people in the line , one matter was cleared : Apple ’s fan foundation is like few others ’ . As Henning von Vogelsang , chitchat San Francisco from Europe , put it , “ Few blade make this sort of passion . Apple did n’t coordinate this — users amount out and stand in origin only on their own . ” Although I ’m certain the Lucky Bags did n’t hurt .
[ Interesting side note : many of those at the front of the line said that the most memorable thing about their experience in line was watching Apple employee and contractors fresh , polish , and buff everything in sight , over and over — sometimes three or four time each day . ( In fact , three of the metallic element panels that comprise the computer memory ’s facade wereover - buffed , lead in some heated conversations among declarer staff . ) ]
The Lucky Bags
I actually end up “ drive lucky ” — I was able to pimp a Lucky Bag ( $ 249 , no taxation , Apple Part Number D2866Z / A , if you ’re rummy ) , supplies of which were wipe out by 10:50am . After Jason ’s level on Thursday , you ’re in all probability wondering exactly what was in it .
If you got the “ received ” version , you get :
Total economic value , grant to Apple Store prices : $ 683 plus taxplusthe time value of the 10 % bank discount card .
Oh , and if you were one of the lucky few , your bag also contained either an iPod or an iPod mini!–Dan Frakes
