Ok, so yesterday I stood in line for an iPhone.  They were to be released at 6pm and originally I was not going to start waiting in line until 3pm.  However my roommate had the news on and they were talking about the huge lines to get an iPhone that had started forming the day before.

I decided that it was worth it to go grab some lunch and then check it out.  I decided that going to an AT&T store in town would give me a better chance than an Apple store.  I got there at 1pm and to my surprise there was only 17 people in line!  I decided this was an opportunity so I set my chair down and started making friends with the people in line. 

The guy towards the end made some comment that only 1 person was showing up every 3 hours, to which I said “shit, then I’ll come back in 3 hours”.  We laughed and I decided that I would stay and protect my chair until I had made friends with the people on both sides of me before leaving. 

Well in about 30 minutes a Mexican family showed up and didn’t seem to speak English but seemed to want to be in line.  They however were not socializing so I still stayed.  Then after they got some of the free water that AT&T was giving out they left… The next guy showed up and he was cool but he was there just to put his chair down and go but he said he would be back as soon as he went home and changed.  Well by the time he returned he still hadn’t changed but he did bring us some Vitamin Water which was cool. 

Anyways, at 2 something the line more than doubled but I just decided that I was no acclimated to the heat outside (I was in the shade so the 111 degrees wasn’t so bad) and I was getting along with the people so I just decided to stay. 

The guy next to me seemed eerily like an alternate version of me in 20 years if I were to change my life slightly and be a more bubbly person.  His name was Jim… Yes, that’s right the friendly more fun version of my name.  Jim drove a Beetle, which would be a less sexy but still a similar compact car to what I drive.  He had broken free of his job awhile ago and him and the 2 other people sitting in line in front of me had started an Internet Marketing company.  They were all about web 2.0 and AJAX (as am I), and they also appreciated a good joke.

Anywho, all twilight zoneish circumstances aside.  Eventually it was time for a phone.  We all put our chairs away and eagerly stood awaiting for them to let us in the store.  They took the first 10 who all seemed like it was taking them forever!!! I mean they all had to paroose through the accessories etc.. 

See it should of been lightning no matter if you were a current customer or not because you don’t activate the phone with the store.  You take it home and activate it through iTunes!  Also the people who were in line with me were not going to have a problem with a credit check if they were a new customer since they all had plenty of money and even if they had a deposit it wouldn’t have been an issue so I don’t know what was taking everybody so long.  When I got in there I didn’t even look at the accessories (they will have more selection and be cheaper online), and I was in and out in 4 minutes, leaving before most of the people in front of me!

The guy at the counter had to ask if I wanted a 4gb or and 8gb iPhone to which I bet him a dollar that not a single person who was waiting in that line was going to get the 4gb version until the 8gb sold out, since it was only $100 less ($500 instead of $600) and 8gb is not really enough space if you start using this thing as a computer or an iPod.  He agreed but wouldn’t bet since nobody before me had asked for a 4gb model. 

The line outside cheered for me as I walked out of the store ; ) This is getting long so I will break it into two posts… the before / after.