Apple’s iPhone 4 Launch Draws Huge Crowds Worldwide
6/25/2010 01:19:00 AM
kenmouse
, Posted in
If you thought that the hype was settling down, guess again: iPhone-hungry masses lined up outside Apple stores around the world Thursday, eager to get their hands on Apple’s latest smartphone.
“The line is longer than expected. I wish they had it more organized by time frame like they do at the genius bar,” said Robert Arnold-Kraft, a line waiter outside Apple’s downtown San Francisco store.
“My legs are already cramping up. It’s almost been two hours. This launch is bigger than a blackout sale,” said Joseph Canino, in San Francisco.
“The line here is about 2,000 people deep! Ughh,” tweeted Sandra Saldivar, in Modesto, California.
In fact, the launch of the iPhone 4 may have drawn the largest crowds ever. In New York, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Tokyo, Paris and London, thousands of would-be customers queued up, some camping out overnight, to get a chance to buy the phone.
They’ll need some luck. Apple reported receiving more than 600,000 pre-orders for the phone, in a presales rush that swamped AT&T’s and Apple’s web servers and led to countless customer complaints.
Some customers lucky enough to place their orders successfully, and smart enough to choose at-home delivery, started receiving their phones as early as Tuesday. Those who chose to pick up their pre-ordered phones at an Apple store had to wait in line today, although their are separate lines for pre-orders and for customers without pre-orders. And the unhappy few who chose to pick up their phones at an AT&T store may have to wait until next week.
If you’re in line now and don’t have a reservation, you may be looking at a long wait. Apple employees estimated a six- to seven-hour wait for nonreservation customers, according to Lun Esex, waiting in line in San Francisco.
According to some estimates, Apple may sell as many as a million iPhone 4s today, a clear record. By contrast, it took the original iPhone 74 days to hit a million, and the iPhone 3GS took a whole weekend to reach that number.
Still, waiting in line is worth it for some.
“Pre-ordering your iPhone is like getting the T-shirt without going to the concert,” said iPad DJ Rana Sobhany in a tweet. “The waiting and anticipation is part of the fun.”
“I feel excited, cold and insane,” said Juliet Hoffman, who was near the front of the line in San Francisco at about 9 a.m., after waiting for three hours.
Others were less excited about the onslaught of new iPhone customers, given that AT&T’s network is already stretched to the limits.
“So *excited* to know there are about to be 500k+ more iPhone users on ATT starting today. Never thought I would be a network NIMBY,” tweeted Alexander Rose, executive director of the Long Now Foundation.
iPhone 4 Day Launch - First Guy: Gray Powell
Sometimes coincidences are almost too good. Is this one?
By now, you’ve heard the story about the unfortunate Apple engineer who lost his iPhone 4 prototype at a bar one evening. Gizmodo, the site which ended up purchasing the prototype, also outed the person who lost it: Gray Powell.
This evening, local Bay Area affiliate ABC7 led off their coverage of tomorrow morning’s iPhone 4 launch with the Gizmodo story. They then went to one of the local Apple Stores to interview the first person in line. What they failed to realize though just how coincidental this man’s name was. Yes, Gray Powell.
Let me repeat this to be very clear: the man first in line to buy an iPhone 4 in San Francisco is apparently named Gray Powell.
Now, I didn’t see the segment, so it’s entirely possible that a mixup in the graphics led to what seems to be an extraordinary coincidence. But the person who tipped this to us did see the segment and thought the name sounded a bit familiar when ABC said it.
So that leaves the possibility that this man in line gave a fake name, perhaps to pay homage to the Apple engineer. But would someone clearly looking for publicity by being the first in line at an Apple Store for such an event really give a fake name? That would be a true fanboy.
Regardless, I’ll play along and assume that this man’s name really is Gray Powell. But then I’m also going to assume it’s not that Gray Powell. All I have to go on is the few pictures other publications posted of the Apple engineer after the incident (and at least one sort of makes the two look the same), but I’m going to go out on a limb and say I don’t think it could possibly be him.
Instead, it appears that the man who lost the iPhone 4 shares the name of a man who will be one of the first to obtain the iPhone 4. Spooky. Or is it?
Update: Wow, okay, you really can find anything on the Internet. Sadly, I’m going to have to break up the fun here.
It turns out “Gray Powell” is actually a guy named Joe. My advanced facial recognition confirms this. Joe is a man who paid $400 (via airbnb) to secure his spot from another man to be first in line at the Stockton St. store in San Francisco.
Well played, Joe. Well played.
“The line is longer than expected. I wish they had it more organized by time frame like they do at the genius bar,” said Robert Arnold-Kraft, a line waiter outside Apple’s downtown San Francisco store.
“My legs are already cramping up. It’s almost been two hours. This launch is bigger than a blackout sale,” said Joseph Canino, in San Francisco.
“The line here is about 2,000 people deep! Ughh,” tweeted Sandra Saldivar, in Modesto, California.
In fact, the launch of the iPhone 4 may have drawn the largest crowds ever. In New York, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Tokyo, Paris and London, thousands of would-be customers queued up, some camping out overnight, to get a chance to buy the phone.
They’ll need some luck. Apple reported receiving more than 600,000 pre-orders for the phone, in a presales rush that swamped AT&T’s and Apple’s web servers and led to countless customer complaints.
Some customers lucky enough to place their orders successfully, and smart enough to choose at-home delivery, started receiving their phones as early as Tuesday. Those who chose to pick up their pre-ordered phones at an Apple store had to wait in line today, although their are separate lines for pre-orders and for customers without pre-orders. And the unhappy few who chose to pick up their phones at an AT&T store may have to wait until next week.
If you’re in line now and don’t have a reservation, you may be looking at a long wait. Apple employees estimated a six- to seven-hour wait for nonreservation customers, according to Lun Esex, waiting in line in San Francisco.
According to some estimates, Apple may sell as many as a million iPhone 4s today, a clear record. By contrast, it took the original iPhone 74 days to hit a million, and the iPhone 3GS took a whole weekend to reach that number.
Still, waiting in line is worth it for some.
“Pre-ordering your iPhone is like getting the T-shirt without going to the concert,” said iPad DJ Rana Sobhany in a tweet. “The waiting and anticipation is part of the fun.”
“I feel excited, cold and insane,” said Juliet Hoffman, who was near the front of the line in San Francisco at about 9 a.m., after waiting for three hours.
Others were less excited about the onslaught of new iPhone customers, given that AT&T’s network is already stretched to the limits.
“So *excited* to know there are about to be 500k+ more iPhone users on ATT starting today. Never thought I would be a network NIMBY,” tweeted Alexander Rose, executive director of the Long Now Foundation.
iPhone 4 Day Launch - First Guy: Gray Powell
Sometimes coincidences are almost too good. Is this one?
By now, you’ve heard the story about the unfortunate Apple engineer who lost his iPhone 4 prototype at a bar one evening. Gizmodo, the site which ended up purchasing the prototype, also outed the person who lost it: Gray Powell.
This evening, local Bay Area affiliate ABC7 led off their coverage of tomorrow morning’s iPhone 4 launch with the Gizmodo story. They then went to one of the local Apple Stores to interview the first person in line. What they failed to realize though just how coincidental this man’s name was. Yes, Gray Powell.
Let me repeat this to be very clear: the man first in line to buy an iPhone 4 in San Francisco is apparently named Gray Powell.
Now, I didn’t see the segment, so it’s entirely possible that a mixup in the graphics led to what seems to be an extraordinary coincidence. But the person who tipped this to us did see the segment and thought the name sounded a bit familiar when ABC said it.
So that leaves the possibility that this man in line gave a fake name, perhaps to pay homage to the Apple engineer. But would someone clearly looking for publicity by being the first in line at an Apple Store for such an event really give a fake name? That would be a true fanboy.
Regardless, I’ll play along and assume that this man’s name really is Gray Powell. But then I’m also going to assume it’s not that Gray Powell. All I have to go on is the few pictures other publications posted of the Apple engineer after the incident (and at least one sort of makes the two look the same), but I’m going to go out on a limb and say I don’t think it could possibly be him.
Instead, it appears that the man who lost the iPhone 4 shares the name of a man who will be one of the first to obtain the iPhone 4. Spooky. Or is it?
Update: Wow, okay, you really can find anything on the Internet. Sadly, I’m going to have to break up the fun here.
It turns out “Gray Powell” is actually a guy named Joe. My advanced facial recognition confirms this. Joe is a man who paid $400 (via airbnb) to secure his spot from another man to be first in line at the Stockton St. store in San Francisco.
Well played, Joe. Well played.
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