well I have been preparing for this day I guess since the day my last phone busted in November 2006. I knew there were some rumors flying that Apple might release an Apple branded cellphone in January. So there was no way I was gonna get a new phone and a new 2 year contract form verizon. I love verizon but when it comes to the fact that they re-up your contract by 2 years anytime you do anything for that they are jerks.
So I called verzion and found out i could get out of my contract in March and figured if Jobs announced a phone in January they would take that long to get them on the shelves. So I waited.
January came and Apple surprised the world with an even cooler phone than I thought they would. Within days it was on the want list of every techie, spoiled teen and me. Within minutes of watching the keynote I made the decision to wait for the iPhone. Scarifying Cell service for the revolutionary new phone.
When Jobs announced a June release I had hoped for june 15-20 something mid month. Making me less busy and at home to acquire the phone. My hopes were dashed a few weeks ago when they announced a June 29 release.
On June 29 I was to be at Creation East in the middle of nowhere PA. So not to be stopped I went to AT&T and did a radius search of Agape Farm. Found 3 AT&T stores about an hour drive away. 2 in Altoona and 1 in Chambersburg. I immediately determined Chambersburg was my best bet. I would leave Creation at 3am in the morning drive to Chambersburg and camp at the store till it opened at 10am, hopefully being close to the front of the line. I then called Chambersburg Store and found out they were in a mall. This caused me to re-think my plans. Plan #1 needed some revision.
I called the mall that the store was in an found out they opened at 9am and the stores opened at 10am. I was concerned cause if i waited outside the mall and then had to run to the store at 9 i would get beat out by tons of faster people. This made me sad. Plan #2 out the window.
I then found out the mall had a morning walker program that for $3 you could join and get into the mall at 8am with membership. So my plans were starting to get deviously creative. I was gonna drive to chambersburg and join the walking club so I could get in the mall an hour early, walk the mall and figure out what my pace should be so that at 9am i would be walking passed the AT&T store and be the first in line with the rest of the chumps running and jockeying for position when the mall opened for normal people. *sigh*.
Then the next news at ADC steve slipped a quick 6pm after he said June 29. I was like NO not 6pm that means plan 3 will not work and totally changes the morning strategy Plan #3 done. The next day several news outlets reported that steve was joking. ooo Plan 3 was back. Nope they were wrong but he end of the day 6pm was a concrete time. Plan #3 was toast.
So again there was time to rethink. I decided to ditch the mall stores and go for a a stand alone store. I could only find 1. So my plans changed again. I called the store confirmed that they thought they would be getting the phone, the guy said sure and i asked him a few questions. The line was gonna be outside with the store closing at 4pm and re-opening at 6pm. But how would i be able to gauge when to get to the store. and would people still line up over night and sit all day? big question.
So I then decided since i was gonna be at creation with my ticketing equipment. I would take my lawn-chair and a marine battery and my laptop and if i could find wifi i would work and if not I would watch the office and laugh. So plan 4 was shaping up!
Today I left creation at 11:40am and drove to Altoona arrived about 12:30 and found 3 other people sitting in lawnchairs in front of the store facing the highway. The first person in line was a 14 year old boy wearing a "i think therefore imac" shirt and holding a mac world magazine. His mom was out buying him food and his dad swung by in his cadillac to offer his support of junior getting his phone. I from now on will call him the cadillac kid. The next person in line was grandma. A 65yo+ lady sitting in line for her grandson who was obviously too busy and spoiled to do it for himself. (hereafter known as granny). Number 3 in line was a guy with ADD and a trigger happy mouth. He continuously spouted facts about the iphone misc. BS that I (the knower of all iphone trivia) found to be wrong or fabricated stuff. I then set up my chair and became #4. Being number 4 was a good thing. The AT&T store decided to let 4 people into the store at a time which makes me in the first group of recipients.
Well without too much more wait number 5 showed up and then 6 and 7. They are all college age guys who brought there nintendos and laptops. I then threw on my headphones and pt on some tobyMac and grooved to portable sounds. what a great CD. And of coarse I am typing all my thoughts as a sit. I am glad i have headphones. Caddy boy and BS'er continue to spout iphone info and make guess as to what will happen. My favorites are that a delivery man delivered a safe with all the iphones in it a few days ago and tonight at 5:45 the store manager will get a call with the code. (where do they find this crap?)
now my play by play
ok Caddy boy has now replaced mr. BS as most annoying person in line.
Grandma and caddy boys mom just suck in all the BS facts and conjecture that are being thrown around. headphones back on. the time is now 2:40pm.
Ok the rent-a-cop just showed up and was greeted by the store manager that looks like barbie. took of headphones to hear stuff. now involved in more rumor chat. college nintendo boys now chatting.
nothing new. i know more than all of them. :P 2:55pm
slick sales boy came out and asked us to remove our cars from the front of the store and told us at 6pm they will be serving water and apples. someone asked him if he has seen it yet. he claimed no one will that they are all in sealed bags and will be sold that way. Barbie is back out instructing rent-a-cop. he doesn't have a gun but he is a big boy. he has not taken a stance at the front of the line with both hands on his hips. heh 2:57pm.
Guy in a BMW arrives to wait. Guy in Audi arrives to wait. must be getting off work early. Some lady arrives asks barbie questions and then walks around. definitely this is a man's phone. and the women that are here so far are waiting with or on behalf of men. 2:59pm
barbie came out with her samsung phone and took a picture of her line. She seems pleased with herself and her line. totally sucks that there is no wifi here. 3:10pm
local news station pulled in :/ MR. BS just said one of the reasons he wants the iphone today is so he can impress people the next few weeks. ugh. now everyone talking about how valuable the phone will be. yeah, $599. 3:16pm
Caddy boy is being interviewed for the 6 o'clock news. newsman said the mayor of philadelphia is waiting in line for an iphone. ooooo
store is due to close in 33 minutes. 3:57pm
Two more newspapers have shown up interviewed caddy boy and grandma. I try to not look at the news people hoping they pass me by. the guy a few down in line went in the store and got a treo for 99 under a 2 year contract. Then at 6 he will buy an iphone and when you buy an iphone they wipe out your previous obligation and start at 2 years again. So he will get the treo for 99 and then sell it on ebay. and he hopes to make $200. We shall see. store closed 4:30pm
another rent a cop showed up, that makes two, BS man got out of his chair to smoke a few and talk to the rent a cops, marriage made in heaven. Barbie appeared to tell us 4 at a time in the store they are prepping now. She also brought us cold bottled water. She also informed us that news coverage is big and we are lucky. the other store in town in the mall is swamped with many more people than are here and places like pittsburgh and state college they are wrapped around the block. I am not surprised. I picked this specific place because i thought my chances would be best. and it is paying off. 4:56pm
btw i am watching the office and i find it to be very funny. can not believe i waited this long to watch it. Mr. BS is sad that there are not hundreds of people here. He really wants to feel important by being in front of hundreds of people. I am like who cares. just be happy all 50 of us get a phone. or whatever. caddy, granny and BS made bets when the next person would show up. the earliest bet was 10 minutes. more people came a minute later. 5:02pm.
Someone drove by and yelled, get a job. if they knew what the people in line were spending they would have appeared smarter had they said 'get a life'. most people toot and waive. 5:04pm
person in a car passes store and then backs up in the turning lane, dangerous. & bmw guy #2 5:09pm
people calling their friends that are in line telling them they saw them on the news, our immediate society. 5:12pm
Lady with 5 kids arrives, sheesh who has five kids anymore. that is a bunch. And if you are buying them all iphones holy smokes. barbie now is talking to rent a cops. Mr BS man is thinking about going over to them again. go, go quickly. NOt sure what they are setting up inside, Whatever it is barbie doesn't need to helphelp obviously. 5:15pm
MR. BS is UP! 5:16pm
Took battery back to vehicle 5:28pm
so caddy boy showed up at 6am this morning, i showed up at 12:30. 6.5 hours got caddy boy 1st place but i am in the same group of 4 with him. So not bad, however if i had been 10 minutes alter i would be in group 2. 5:37pm
ok doors opened at 6:00PM. rushed in with first 4. grabbed phone and ran. was out the door at 6:05PM. was a bit not pleased with the fact that i needed an internet connection to register the phone. great idea. but being an hour away from internet i was not happy.
now someday i will tell you what else happened tome after this. but now i am playing with my new iphone :)
