A bleary-eyed Greg Sandoval, the News.com reporter who spent a night on the street for a chance at the iPhone 3G, interviews blogger Robert Scoble.
(Credit: James Martin/CNET Networks)SAN FRANCISCO--The first bad omen for our experience with Apple's iPhone 3G came late Thursday night, when some of us waiting outside the Apple store here may have insulted a priest.
Sitting on the sidewalk in front of the store, a group of us, giddy with excitement about Apple's new handset, noticed a priest walk by. "Hi, Father," I quipped. "Tomorrow, will you bless our iPhones?"
The priest wasn't amused. Things really took a turn for the worse when someone tried to explain to him why the iPhone was worth the money and a night on the streets.
"You have to understand," the man said, straight-faced. "It's the Jesus phone." Of course, he was referring to one of the iPhone's popular nicknames used by fans to describe what they consider awesome power. It dawned on me that I must be the only one in the group who went to Sunday School. I quickly explained that the man didn't mean any disrespect.
Now, I can't help wondering whether there was anything divine involved with Apple's system troubles on Friday morning, which resulted in delayed transactions and spotty phone activations, as well as some disappointed customers. Isn't Apple's customer service typically a slice of heaven?
During last year's launch of the original iPhone, customers were moved in and out of the store rapidly. In San Francisco on Friday, however, the experience was anything but speedy.
After spending about 11 hours in line (I entered at 9:30 p.m. PDT on Thursday), I was one of the lucky first let into the store at 8 a.m. Friday. I didn't leave until 57 minutes later. Out of the first 40 or so people who entered the store, I was the first person to walk out with an iPhone 3G. (Apple employees failed to activate it.)
I felt sorry for the poor souls at the tail end of the line. Their day promised to be a long one.
The first sign of trouble came after entering the store when Joe Wilson, an Oracle software engineer and the guy who stood in line ahead of me all night, turned to me red-faced and said, "The journalists are taking cuts."
Apple let a dozen or so cameramen and photographers into the store to record customers coming in. Some of them decided to hop in line instead of shoot their pictures and video. Not in front of us. Wilson told them very quietly but sternly to move back. To their credit, they did.
Then, one by one, each of the customers was instructed to follow an Apple employee to a workstation. That's when the iPhone experience began to look as disorganized and mediocre as that of any other phone retailer.
First, I was given the pitch for MobileMe, Apple's package of Internet services and software. This was followed by an explanation of the benefits of a two-year warranty. That was followed with a short discussion about accessories. Then came the big blow: the male employee helping me looked up from his handheld computer and quietly said, "I'm sorry, we're down."
I'm told that the iPhone 3G itself will make up for the morning aggravation. Truth be told, I had a blast hanging out with the so-called Apple fanboys and gadget freaks. Sharing food and exchanging news about the iPhone and the new applications, trading insults with people who thought we were goofy for waiting in the cold for "a toy." All of it was worth the trouble.
As it turns out, the best thing about Apple is its customers.
I shot this video just after being allowed to enter the store and minutes after I was told Apple's system went down. You can see the guy helping me is trying to reboot and other employees are prevented from helping customers.
A jubilant Robert Scoble poses with his new iPhone 3G at the Apple store in San Francisco.
(Credit: James Martin/CNET News)SAN FRANCISCO--The perks of being a famous tech blogger include not having to stand in line all night for the latest gadget.
I was out in front of the Apple store near Union Square here at 9 p.m. PDT on Thursday standing in line for the iPhone 3G that makes its debut today. Robert Scoble walks up at 7:15 a.m., 45 minutes before the doors are scheduled to open, and a fan lets him take cuts in line.
It would be easier to be bitter if Scoble wasn't such a nice guy. It's 15 minutes before Scoble and 29 other people are let in. The crowd, which numbers around 250 people, is whooping it up as they break down folding chairs, drink coffee, and talk about the new iPhone apps they want to buy.
A legion of marketers are handing out coupons for iPhone skins and other accessories. There's some apprehension among some of those who are well back in the line about how long the activation process is going to take. We'll see.
Update 9:40 a.m. PDT: OK, it would have been easier to get pissed at the congenial Scoble when Apple's doorman started letting the first batch of people inside the store and stopped at me. It was only a few seconds' delay before they granted me access.
Dale Larson, first in line outside San Francisco's Apple store sits near his tent and answers the curious.
(Credit: Greg Sandoval/CNET Networks)SAN FRANCISCO--The twenty-something woman trash-talking us is definitely no fan girl.
"They'll be selling these stupid phones on eBay in a year," she snarls as she stalks past the 25 of us lined up outside Apple's store here late Thursday evening.
She's wearing a sweatshirt from a college in the Midwest and toting a shopping bag so someone barks back: "tourist!" But she's not the only one who mocks us for camping out all night--braving this city's shivery summer air--for something as ho-hum as a cell phone. "Is it really that serious?" asks a man wearing a tweed sport coat and smirk.
Forgive them Steve Jobs. They know not what they do.
The iPhone 3G debuts Friday morning and across the country, Apple fans, iPhone lovers, and people curious about why friends say the device has changed their lives, are sleeping on the streets. They want to be the first to enter Apple's retail stores when doors open at 8 a.m.
The questions from passerby this evening, whether legitimately curious or intent on snickering at us, generally follows the same line: "Why put yourself through this just for some consumer good?"
Consumer good? To the bleary-eyed people standing in line with me, the hope is that they will be among the first to own the next transcendent and culture-changing Apple gadget.
The iPhone, many of them believe, is ready to take up a spot alongside the Mac and iPod.
Harcore iPhone fans lined up outside San Francisco's Apple store.
(Credit: Greg Sandoval/CNET Networks)"This device has changed my life," declares Ilan Fehler, a 21-year-old student at the University of Arizona, who considers himself lucky to be third in line.
Dale Larson is customer No.1 at this store. The 39-year old consultant on mobile products said says he's not particularly tied to Apple gear but he acknowledges he started camping out on Wednesday evening.
He pitched a tent and stayed the night. He said he felt a little embarrassed when Apple's watchman said goodnight and he was the only person in line. "I thought there would be so many more people here," he said.
Still, nothing dampened his enthusiasm for the iPhone. "I would get excited over any product that works as well," Larson said. "But nothing does. This device opens everything up. Developers can develop and consumers can take advantage of their innovation."
Larson said that the first version of iPhone was enough to generate intense interest in version 2, with it's faster 3G network and cheaper price.
So If you're reading this and happen to be in downtown San Francisco in the wee hours this morning, don't bother asking why we're out here. Just read the T-shirts handed out to everyone in line by employees of Fastmac.com, a company that sells Apple accessories.
Written on the T-shirt is: "You had me at..." and it ends with the symbol of a phone."
UPDATE: About 50 people are in line here at 4:50 a.m. PT. I made a rough count of those videotaped by my colleague Caroline McCarthy outside of New York's Fifth Avenue Apple Store and there are at least three times as many there.
Come on San Francisco, you're being out-teched by New York. The shame...
CNN is reporting that more than 1,000 people waited in line for the iPhone 3G in Tokyo.
2nd UPDATE: Way to go S.F.. It's 6:45 a.m. PT and there's easily 150 people standing in line, including some of my competitors from VentureBeat. They're showing me up a bit by handing out some delicious donuts in a shameless marketing gimmick. For the record, I'm ahead of them in line (The non hackers didn't show up until midnight).
The blog must be getting big if Matt Marshall or Dean Takahashi aren't out here. Missed you guys.
Click here for CNET News' complete iPhone 3G coverage.
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