Pete Jensen came to the Apple Store in Arlington , Virginia , with an iPod , PDA , and cubicle phone . He ’s hoping to leave behind with just an iPhone .
“ Today , I ’ve pose three things in my pocket , ” Jensen said on Friday afternoon . “ Tomorrow , I ’ll have one . ”
He ’s hardly the only somebody with that plan . From coast to coast Friday , the envious and the odd stood in line at Apple Stores and AT&T retail outlets so that they could be among the first to put down their hands on Apple ’s new iPhone .
Lawn chairs, like the ones outside the Arlington, Va., Apple Store, were a much-needed accessory for those waiting in long iPhone lines.
Line size varied from place to place — in Arlington , the line outside the out-of-door shopping centerfield easily pass 100 people long before the Apple Store opened at 6 p.m. local clip . At the Apple Store in the Washington Square Mall in Tigard , Oregon , roughly 50 masses were in personal line of credit three hours before the iPhone ’s launch ; only five masses were waiting at a nearby AT&T Store .
Lawn death chair , like the ones outside the Arlington , Va. , Apple Store , were a much - need accessory for those wait in tenacious iPhone lines .
What drove the absolute majority of people to line up up in front of a store for a equipment that they could order online ? For many , it was the promise of a better mobile twist than what they have now . Jason Miller , an environmental applied scientist from Arlington , Virginia , was looking to upgrade from his Treo , which he said “ does everything about half as well as it should . ”
Kevin Towson was first in line for an iPhone at the Apple Store in Arlington, Virginia.
Glenn Sparico , a teacher , smile , as held up an LG Electronics phone that he lay claim he may sell for “ like a dollar ” once he had his iPhone in hand . He finds his current telephone set bulky and calls the Web surf “ ugly ” and hopes that the iPhone provide some improvement .
For a lucky few amount the fugitive glory of being first in strain for the earpiece . In Arlington , that honor get to Kevin Towson , a police officer from the D.C. area who get off his switching and lined up for the iPhone at 9 p.m. on Thursday evening . Towson say he ’s looking ahead to plugging the iPhone in and synchronise up his iTunes library after a Nox with only two hours of sleep .
Kevin Towson was first in stemma for an iPhone at the Apple Store in Arlington , Virginia .
A happy shopper shows off his new iPhone in Arlington.
“ I ’ve actually been up for about 72 time of day , ” he said . “ Not because of the iPhone , but because I had to study for a run . I just was n’t go to let wakefulness discourage me from being the first in melodic phrase . ”
Krinsky , who arrive about two hours after than Scaringi and still got the No . 2 stain in line , made a pact with Scaringi to make trusted that no one take the other ’s spot when they had to head our for bathroom and food falling out .
When asked how many iPhones they ’d be buy both Scaringi and Krinsky submit that they were only getting one . “ I want it for personal purpose , and I paid a $ 200 fee to Nextel about three weeks ago so as to get out of my contract , ” Scaringi said .
The line outside San Francisco’s Apple Store snaked down Stockton Street.
At the San Francisco Apple Store on Stockton Street , one of Apple ’s flagship stores , marketing professional Jerry Taylor was first in stemma . Taylor , who ’d been in argumentation since 10 a.m. Thursday , hopes to show his boss , a BlackBerry user , how much better the iPhone is . A happy shopper shows off his new iPhone in Arlington .
There ’s another benefit to being first in agate line other than getting your hands on an iPhone before everyone else — you also get your share of media attention . Taylor said that he ’d been interviewed more times than he cared to consider by Web , print , radio , and TV newsperson . While aMacworldreporter spoke to him Friday morning , other reporters from Cnet , Wired , and Bloomberg queued up to question him as well .
From iPhone launch events around the country :
Performers from Peepshow Minigolf were among those waiting for an iPhone in San Francisco.
San Francisco
An 60 minutes before the Apple Store on Stockton Street opened its room access , about 400 people were line up , with the line snaking around the store for two - and - a - half blocks . At spot No . 153 , Philippe Bartoszewicz of San Francisco waited his turn . “ I ’ve said the reason I ’m here is because I ’m fit on a trip in a few 24-hour interval and want it with me . But really , it ’s because I ’m haunt , ” he state . “ I did n’t realize I was obsessed until people started necessitate questions about it , and I fuck all the answers . ”
Just ahead of Bartoszewicz , San Franciscan Brian Shire concord down spot No . 152 after arriving at noon and offered a much simple account for waiting in tune : “ It ’s better than sit around in the office all twenty-four hour period . ”
The production line outside San Francisco ’s Apple Store snake down Stockton Street .
Employees at San Francisco’s Apple Store greet the first iPhone customers.
Clowning it up near the front of the descent were “ Glam Sam ” ( a.k.a . Barron Levkoff ) and “ J - Rad , ” two performing artist fromPeepshow Minigolf , both dressed like vaudevillian hucksters . They had lined up at 10 a.m. Thursday .
“ We ’re position the genus Circus in medium circus , ” said Glam Sam . “ We ’re feeding the iFire . ”
“ That ’s descend out next class , ” added J - Rad .
The Fifth Avenue Apple Store in New York was a mob scene for most of Friday.
While people mass in front of the Apple Store , a Harlan Fisk Stone ’s throw forth , the rail line at one of the AT&T store in downtown San Francisco were much unforesightful . Roughly two twelve people were waiting in line later Friday afternoon , with 23 - year - sometime photojournalism student Amanda Rybarczyk and 23 - class - old J. Martin reserve down the first two positions . The two get their dayspring at the Apple Store , showing up at 2:30 a.m. to find themselves 60th and 61st in line , respectively . alternatively of await , they made the two - block trek to the AT&T outlet , where their emplacement better dramatically .
performer from Peepshow Minigolf were among those waiting for an iPhone in San Francisco .
Neither plan to use the phone they were waiting to purchase ; both are wait to trade their earpiece on eBay .
Apple Store employees high-five iPhone shoppers as they enter the Fifth Avenue store.
“ I really do want the phone at some detail , ” Rybarczyk state . “ But I want to wait for updates . Besides , we ’re college kids , hard up for John Cash , and it ’s better than sell blood . ”
Ryan Overdevest , a 22 - yr - old student on a summer internship at an equity research firm , was third in line at the AT&T Store . Unlike Rybarczyk and Martin , Overdevest wasn ’ planning on selling the iPhone he was there to buy . But he was n’t planning on using it , either . “ I would bang to have it for myself , but I ca n’t afford it , ” he said . “ I ’m here for my knob . He sent me here as shortly as I get in . ” Overdewest showed up for work at 6 ante meridiem , and was in line by 6:30 Friday morning .
Back on Stockton Street , The Apple Store ’s doors open up at 5:50 p.m. , and immediately the gang start twittering and buzz , before erupting into cheers . A logical argument of black- clad Apple store employees go through the gang clapping and cheering . Traffic was stop on Stockton Street .
At 5:55 p.m. employees move into the computer storage , seiged by an ground forces of word cameras . The crowd counted down to 6 p.m. , and then set off to singAuld Lang Syne . Just after six , the store let people in , and Apple employee lined either side of the stairs , hand clapping and cheering.—MATHEW HONAN
Employees at San Francisco ’s Apple Store greet the first iPhone customers .
New York
At the Apple Store in the SoHo division of New York , there was a fair atmosphere throughout the good afternoon , which built to a flood tide with a gang of hundreds count down from five , flop before 6 p.m. In the last hour before threshold open up , a valet was even heard selling spot close to the front of the cable to those who were tight to the back .
Amid whoops and hollers , movie manager Spike Lee was the first to walk into the store , order he was there for charity . A Brooklyn , New York - based charity called Keep a nestling Alive grab first place in rail line in the first place in the week , using its place to air its plan to auctioneer an iPhone on eBay and employ the money for charity .
“ They require me to be a part of it , ” Lee said . He noted that the Polemonium van-bruntiae did the “ hard part ” wait in line all workweek in front of the store , and said he feel favorable to be part of the effort .
Actress Whoopi Goldberg was 2d in job . When asked what she was doing there , she commented on the media crowding around her , pronounce “ I do n’t really know at this point . ” When asked whether she was going to bribe a speech sound , she said yes .
About 10 minute before the doors give , an Apple employee come out with teaching and tips for the crew . He said people could corrupt up to two phones each , and advance people to buy iPhones before stag for appurtenance .
By morning the product line outside the SoHo store stretched for three blocks . Some partizan were napping in folding chair while others talked on the phone or to each other as they waited . temperature had dip nearly 20 degree Fahrenheit since Tuesday and though the sky threatened rainfall , the weather leave a more prosperous atmosphere for iPhone partizan than the summer heating plant that assaulted them in the beginning in the week .
Bill Mac and Jonathan Bricklin had another way to hand the meter — they had a small ping - pong table prepare up as a way to promote their societal networking site , The Naked PingPong club , which encourages citizenry to assemble by play Ping River - pong .
Mac said he was waiting for the iPhone because it would take into account the two to run for their business entirely from a phone without take a personal computer . “ In LA [ the roving billet ] is about your car , in New York it ’s about your phone , ” he enjoin . by and by , Mac took a break from wrinkle to travel to a local cafe Aroma , where he was overheard on his current earpiece severalize someone about the two - iPhone limit.—ELIZABETH MONTALBANO AND BEN AMES
The Fifth Avenue Apple Store in New York was a mob setting for most of Friday .
At the flagship Apple Store on Fifth Avenue , the line of would - be iPhone buyers stretch midway through Madison Avenue and then pass 180 degrees around the urban center block ; all told , the line live on for about a quarter - international mile .
Daniel Hobbs had been waiting in the line since 6 a.m. Friday because he want to get “ the cool gadget out there . ” Likewise , Kesu James called the iPhone “ the coolest gadget of the 100 ; ” some friends had been make his place in line of work since 7 a.m.
It was n’t just iPhone shoppers who pull together at the Fifth Avenue store ; media from NBC , ABC , CNN , and Fox News also were on manus . New York Timescolumnist David Pogue was go from subdivision to section in the line , getting multitude to peach about the iPhone to melodic line of pop song .
The doors to the Apple Store opened at 6 p.m. , with employee hold line - waiters high - fives as they enroll .
A international nautical mile - and - a - half away at the AT&T Store on Broadway and 78th Street , the possibility work less smoothly , with the first grouping of the great unwashed still in the store after what an employee called “ a systems issue . ” As of 6:40 p.m. local fourth dimension , they still had n’t invite their phones.—AARON FREEDMAN
Apple Store employees high - five iPhone shopper as they enter the Fifth Avenue store .
King of Prussia, Pennsylvania
The Apple Store in theKing of Prussia Malloutside of Philadelphia is sandwich between a Bose and Ann Taylor storehouse on the mall ’s first floor , so the argumentation of potential iPhone customers was fall in up into several section around neighboring stores .
Roughly 90 second before the iPhone launching , more than 100 people waited in line . Stephanie Haas , of Lafayette Hill , Pa. , was one of the first people in channel at 7 a.m. Friday , when mall stores were not even open yet .
“ I want to guarantee I would get an iPhone today but I was n’t expect to be first in line , ” Haas said . Although she ’s used a Motorola Razr cellular telephone in the yesteryear , the iPhone is her first smartphone . “ It seems easier to use than other phones , ” she read .
That belief about rest - of - practice a common sentiment among others in credit line , including Rob Terrio of West Norriton , Pa. He and brothers Will and Matt arrived at King of Prussia just a few minutes after Haas Friday morning .
“ I ’m more of a personal computer guy than a Mac guy , ” Terrio said . “ But I really like Apple ’s consumer products . The iPhone is the hottest technology out on the market . Its port is completely mind - blowing . ”
masses wait in seam were n’t left to fend for themselves . Apple Store employees propose bottled urine throughout the day while employees from the nearby Starbucks make it out free java and Chick Fil - A provided sandwiches , harmonise to Terrio .
For Steve Godlewski , buy an iPhone is “ a serious occupation demand . ” The CEO of a vitamin job Web situation , Godlewski travels frequently with a BlackBerry , iPod video , and digital tv camera ; he hop that the iPhone could supplant all three devices .
Forty minute of arc before the store opened its doors , employee removed the shameful banner covering its entrance to reveal a very large iPhone equipped with a countdown timer to 6 p.m. At 5:50 p.m. employees explained to the waiting customers that once they entered the stock , they should continue to the left wing to buy an iPhone . As the timer reckon down , employee would sporadically lead people in a chant of “ Let ’s go , iPhone ! ” As the timekeeper reach zero , vast cheer went up from everyone in line and the expectant crowd of spectators that had gathered.—KATE MARSHALL
Chris Barylick report from Arlington , Virginia . Mathew Honan reported from San Francisco . Rob Griffiths reported from Tigard , Oregon . Jeffery Battersby reported from Danbury , Connecticut . Aaron Freedman reported from New York . Kate Marshall report from King of Prussia , Pennsylvania . Elizabeth Montalbano and Ben Ames of IDG News Service chip in to this written report .
Updated at 3:22 p.m. and 4:43 p.m. PT to admit more reports from the East Coast launches . update at 5 p.m. PT to bestow more entropy from San Francisco . Updated at 6:13 p.m. PT to lend more information from New York . concluding update at 8:25 p.m. PT to add more details from San Francisco .
