Today was the big day: the release of the iPhone 3G. We had a multi-tiered plan - I was going to check out the Apple Store near my house at 7am, Sara was going to check out the AT&T store nearest her, and her friend Morgan was going to check out the Union Square AT&T store. Whoever had the shortest line would grab a spot and we would all meet there.
The Union Square store won - although the Apple store near my house looked like the most fun. The people in line had giddy faces, there was a camera crew, and the windows of the store were covered in black fabric.
I went to Union Square and we all waited in line. About an hour and a half into the waiting, someone that knew Morgan came to say hi, saying that he was further back in line from us. We chatted for a bit and then he said the inevitable: "So do you think I could join you guys in line?"
Silence. Sara and I looked to our feet. Morgan murmured something like "I don't think anyone would say anything." The guy said that he'd be right back and returned with his female business partner. It turns out no one said anything about them butting ahead in line, and they were great company - but I had started rehearsing in my head what I would say if anyone else tried to join us.
We noticed that, with the exception of the first person to walk out the door (who did a cheer), everyone was leaving the store in a dour mood. We figured that people should be excited that the fruits of their waiting labor were finally ripe. People just seemed to be slinking out of the store with a bland look on their face.
We got into the store after about a 2.5 hour wait in line. I assumed that it would go smoothest for me since I was the only existing AT&T customer, and I have already checked that I was eligible for the upgrade to an iPhone. The salesperson took my information, then said that she had to talk to the manager. Apparently, the AT&T computer said I was eligible, but iTunes had said that I was not. Why it mattered what iTunes had to say was beyond me - I think there were some competency issues. Especially considering that the guy that had my sales agent before me had the exact same issue. They asked me to step aside while they checked it out.
I actually don't think they did that munch to fix the issue. I waited for about 20 minutes. My sales agent went through two more customers while I waited. Sara got her iPhone, but they were not able to activate the service. They told her to wait as well - but that it should activate sometime in the next hour or so.
I talked with the manager who tried to care about my situation, but couldn't do anything to help. Customer service had flown out the window. I was a drop in the bucket of iPhone consumers. I could leave an unhappy customer and they wouldn't bat an eyelash. So I decided to leave. God knows how long I would have had to stand there in the store with no resolution.
While I was standing there debating leaving, Sara and I were playing with their demo models. For some reason, a piercing store alarm went off on my demo iPhone. The little cord that keeps you from stealing it started flashing a red light. They had to have someone come over, open up the panel, and manually shut off the alarm. I was embarrassed at first, then slightly glad it happened. I toyed with the idea of doing it again in the hopes that they would give me an iPhone just to have me out of the store.
Sara and I left with those same bland and dour faces that we saw on everyone else. I had no iPhone and hers was unactivated. We had coffee at Taralucci y Vino. I felt better about my iPhone-less existence.
I stopped by two AT&T stores on the way home. Both of them were sold out. It was only 11am. How had I so seriously misjudged my fellow Americans ability to participate in a consumer frenzy?
I thought I'd swing by the Apple store on the way home. Maybe the line wasn't that long? It wasn't outrageous in the morning when I stopped by...
It was ridiculous. It snaked back and forth and went halfway to the river. They had handed out Apple umbrellas to people standing in the sun. I heard that they had even given out cookies! Clearly I had picked the wrong line.
Then the sour grapes started setting in. I didn't need a stupid iPhone. Maybe this was God's way of telling me to wait for the 32GB version? If so, thank you God for caring about my technological well-being. And maybe I shouldn't be so gung-ho about something this popular. When did Apple go from underdog to market crusher? Suddenly, I started feeling like a Jonestown member complaining that my cup was empty - "Don't tell me you're out of Kool-Aid! That's not fair!"
Maybe I'll wait for the Google Android...
It looks like I'll try again at the Apple store tomorrow morning. There's a slight chance that the line won't be bad and that they may still have phones left and that they had worked through my eligibility problem. Not bloody likely, but worth a try.
I went home and the plants on the front steps needed water. It was a good reminder - plants need water to live. Water is a necessity. iPhones are not.
