Big bunch bend out at Apple Stores from coast to coast Friday to mark the discharge of Mac OS X 10.5 , the OS disco biscuit update hump as Leopard .
In New York ’s SoHo neighborhood , even pouring rainwater and gusty winds did n’t deter other adoptive parent from queuing up . The pavement in front of the shop and around the corner was a sea of colored umbrellas as about 200 people line up to be among the first to buy Leopard in North America . Those who had n’t prepare for the weather condition hump under pieces of composition board or just got wet , as people bustle about past on fussy Prince Street and wondered aloud what all the fuss was about .
A similar scene stretch at the CambridgeSide Galleria Apple Store in Cambridge , Mass.—minus the rain — where the wrinkle , fraction into three or four sections , stretched from in front of the Apple Store , all the way out the door of the center and across the street . Security guards and even local police kept rescript while devoted users hold off for Apple to launch the doors , and Apple retail employee offered queuers bottles of water and boost .
Long personal credit line outside the Cambridge , Mass. , Apple Store . ( Photo by Dan Moren )
Boston electrical engineer Colin Dickerson was the first in line of products in Cambridge , having arrived at around 2:45 p.m. after working a twelve - time of day shift the previous day . “ It ’s become a tradition , ” Dickerson said , “ I got the iPhone the day after release . I ’m decease to go home and stay put up late learning all the features . ” In particular , he was looking forward to using the young Time Machine backup characteristic , though he say that upgrading to Leopard more about “ all the features put together . Unlike Windows . ”
MIT bookman Brent Parham and Evan Berkowitz were holding down the 2d and third stain , having arrived shortly after Dickerson at around 3 p.m. “ I was the first one in assembly line at the Tiger launch , ” enounce Berkowitz , referring to the last major OS ten update released in April 2005 . “ My last class was done by noon , so we grabbed some lunch and came over . ”
Berkowitz was also look forward to Time Machine , explicate that he ’d had a gruelling movement crash earlier in the class . “ I only had a backup from a few months earlier . That won”t ever happen again . ”
The two MIT students conceded that they could have ordered Leopard online , but said that coming out to participate was fun . “ You always gather interesting people , ” said Parham . “ And there ’s free t - shirts . ”
Indeed , the first 500 shopper in Cambridge were handed a dark t - shirt , the front emblazoned with a smutty “ X ” against a star backdrop , while the back read ” Add a new Mac to your Mac . ” As they come in the stock , customers were recognize by enthusiastically cheering Apple employees , fit out in a mixed salmagundi of leopard - photographic print apparel , from ties to leotards to gloves , rhythmically chanting “ Go Leopard , go Leopard . ”
T - shirts were the main draw for the first mortal in line outside the SoHo store , a New York Mac enthusiast name Adam who tell he arrived at 2:00 p.m. and was unite about a half hr subsequently by other early adopters . Adam , who own three Macs and frequents Apple Stores when the company launches unexampled products , was not there to buy Leopard — he merely want the innocent T - shirt Apple was giving out to people wait in line to purchase the OS .
psychiatrist - wrapped box wait to be opened . ( Photo by Dan Moren )
“ They ’re unmanageable to get unless you live in Cupertino and can go to the Apple store , ” he enounce , add together that he would purchase Leopard in about six months after Apple had “ work out the kink . ”
Unlike Adam , others shudder in line said they were there to be among the first to get their hand on Leopard . Still , it was n’t just the OS that inspired people to expect in the pelting . Douglas Packer , also of New York , said that although he was looking forward to using Leopard — particularly its new Time Machine and place feature film — he was also was there “ for the experience . ”
“ Everyone ’s more activated about it , and being here with other people waiting make it more play than just a objet d’art of software , ” say Packer , who works in video production .
Herman tell this feature will make it easy for him to help troubleshoot problems on his parents ’ Mac , which he finds himself doing often enough on the telephone anyway .
Herman switched from Microsoft Windows to a Mac three years ago when he leave a spatial relation providing screen background backup to PCs . He said he regularly joins the waiting line for major Apple releases and has stood in line for both the Tiger release of OS X and the iPhone .
Ready to kick upstairs . ( Photo by Dan Moren )
Back in Cambridge , Apple Store employees were direct Leopard purchasers through a cordoned off middle gangway of the fund while tolerate customer concerned in determine the OS in action to head over to where salespeople were waiting to assist them . The first shoppers emerged , clutch their white Apple credit card bag , only a affair of minutes after going in .
Laura Incutasciato , an art director , who was among the last in bank line when the doors in Cambridge opened at 6 p.m. , filed into the store about a half an hr by and by . “ It ’s deserving standing in melody for , ” she said . “ Being part of the experience . ”
For Incutasciato , the prevision had only been heightened by the fact that Leopard had originally been promised back in springiness , before Apple delayed its liberation to focalize on the iPhone . Her appetence whetted by Steve Jobs ’ June developers ’ group discussion tonic , Incutasciato articulate she was most looking forward to Spaces , but that Time Machine was also a braggart draw play .
Leopard goes Occident
The gang in San Francisco hopes to get a glimpse of Leopard . ( Photo by Brian Chen )
The scene on the east coast echo itself three hours later on the Cicily Isabel Fairfield , when Leopard pass on sale at Apple Store locations in the Pacific clip zone . At San Francisco ’s flagship Apple Store on Market Street , a couple hundred people line up outside , waiting for their chance to bribe Leopard .
So what inspires someone to await in transmission line when they could get the order the same operating organisation advance online and have it deliver to their threshold . Because “ waiting for Fed Ex is deadening , ” explained Tyler Howarth , a San Francisco State University bookman who was first in line at the Market Street location .
“ I like meeting all these people , ” tot up Howarth , who was look forward to trying out Time Machine as well as Leopard ’s update variation of iChat . “ A lot of mass issue forth out here , and it ’s mostly for the experience . ”
Behind the Methedrine , San Francisco Apple Store employees nock Leopard ’s press release before the fund re - open up . ( photograph by Brian Chen )
“ It ’s something you do if you ’re a honest Mac rooter , ” agreed 16 - class - previous Michael Lee . “ No other company treats its fan this well . ”
Further south in Los Angeles , Leopard ’s launch at the Grove Apple Store was a more glamorous affair — except much of the glamour was about 100 yards down the street at Victoria ’s Secret , where supermodel Heidi Klum was making an appearance to advance a new cosmetics railway line . In the end , Leopard pull a big crowd than Heidi , but it was a closelipped call . When the Apple Store ’s door re - opened at 6:00 p.m. to the cheers and applause of fund employees , more than 400 citizenry filed in — a few more than the gawkers mob the supermodel in the intimate apparel stock .
Unlike the carnival atmosphere that surrounded the launch of Apple ’s iPhone in June , Leopard ’s L.A. premiere was more low key fruit . Most of the people in line had iPod bud in their ears . A Grove security ship’s officer who would only identify himself as Richard N. said the iPhone launch was “ a zoo . ”
“ We had hundreds of people lined up at 6:00 a.m. , and that was only because we would n’t let anyone line up before then , ’ he said . But by 5:00 p.m. on Friday , there were only 30 would - be Leopard emptor expect for the Apple storehouse to reopen its door at 6:00 p.m. Most customers wait until a few minutes before the doors open to join the queue .
Los Angeles shoppers climb the stairs for Leopard . ( Photo by Ben Boychuk )
Yuki Takara , a Nipponese exchange bookman pack physics courses at Los Angeles City College , was first in the doorway . Like his counterparts elsewhere , Takara said he was eager to try out Leopard ’s Time Machine back - up characteristic .
Richard Quema , 44 , of Valencia , was third in line at The Grove Apple Store . He make it with his Quaker Augusto Piccio , 20 , around noon and took their place about 3:00 . Quema , a rector , joked that he is an Apple “ evangelist ” and Piccio was one of his first converts . Quema also said they really only add up for the free tonne - shirt . But Quema left with the Leopard family pack and a new external hard thrust .
Not everyone in line showed up for Leopard . Gary Williams , a UPS store proprietor in Hollywood , was in billet to grease one’s palms a new 24 - in iMac . “ I picked quite a Clarence Day , did n’t I ? ” Williams quipped . Connor Saporta , who stood in bloodline next to Williams , pronounce he was only there to purchase an iPhone . “ I ’m live out of town this weekend and I wanted the telephone for the trip . I forgot this was today . ”
Don Lewis of Los Angeles said he definitely want Leopard . But he also wanted something else to surge him over in line . “ It would be squeamish if they serve drinks , ” he tell . “ I could use a martini right about now . ” Apple Store employee were n’t fuse drinks , but they did hand out bottled water to patient client . And Lewis was in and out of the store by 6:10 , off to have that drink with a Quaker .
The effect at Apple Stores throughout the U.S. were part of a global rollout of Leopard , which go on sale at 6 p.m. local time around the world Friday , beginning in Australia and New Zealand . Rain also plagued the Leopard launching in Tokyo , which marked the first place the OS went on sales event at an prescribed Apple Store , but did n’t deter user from line up ahead of the time there , either .
[ Associate editor program Dan Moren reported from Cambridge , Mass. Elizabeth Montalbano of IDG News Service account from New York . adjunct editor Brian Chen reported from San Francisco . Ben Boychuk report from Los Angeles . ]
update at 10:25 ET to admit paper from the San Francisco and Los Angeles Apple Stores .
