It seems like forever ago now, but all the fun we had on iPhone 3G launch day comes back to me when I watch that video.
The “don’t-you-feel-bad” guys are T-Mobile reps, who had the bad luck of being stationed next to an Apple store at the Briarwood Mall. They had one customer the whole time I was there. T-Mobile shoppers were either too intimidated or too horrified at the gross consumerism to step foot at their home base.
That’s probably the best news I’ve received all day: my iPhone is synced and ready to go.
At 10 p.m., I finally got up the nerve to plug the sucker in and give it a whirl. And everything went great.
MobileMe is offering a free 60 day trial for us suckers, so I thought, why not? My System Prefs are still showing .Mac syncing, however, and I imagine it’s because I’m still a OS X 10.4 user. MobileMe is giving me error messages, so I’m not going to get my hopes up. But a free trial is a free trial. What’s the harm.
Mr. and Mrs. America, and all the ships at see, I hope you’re having the same luck I’m having right now – which is good luck. Now I’ve got all weekend to play with the beast.
Made it home safe and sound, and finding out news about the server crashes have spread like wildfire. I helped break the news over at Macenstein, but I think everyone eventually got the message.
The iPhone 3G launch was a worldwide event. Something had to go wrong. It’s too bad that “something” was of this magnitude.
At 12:25 this afternoon, I successfully purchased a white, 16 GB iPhone 3G from the Ann Arbor Apple store at the Briarwood Mall.
It’s official. The whole process took about 15 minutes. My “Specialist” said the networks were still being goofy, but I could take my iPhone home and activate it there “in a few hours.”
“AT&T has been fun to deal with today,” he said with a sly smile.
While I’m disappointed I can’t hop on the phone and start playing around, it’s almost better this way. At home, I can take my time and really absorb the thing.
Looking outside the store, the line is still incredibly long – and growing. Before, the line didn’t extend far beyond where I stood. But now the whole mall is full of people in line. It’s madness. Workers on their lunch break, hoping to whip into the store and make their purchase, may lose their job if they’re not careful.
The Apple rep outside the store gave me a “no comment” when I asked how supplies were holding up. My own specialist told me they had just a few of the white models left, so perhaps I lucked out. Whatever. After looking at their store model, I’m sure I made the right choice.
So now it’s past my lunch time, and after all the coffee and water I’ve had there are important matters to deal with. Then I hit the road back home, get everything set up, and life begins again. But this whole thing has been incredible. The people in line were amazing company, the Apple staff were courteous and helpful (if vague with their information), and the in-store setup couldn’t have been easier.
Over and out, for good, from Briarwood Mall in Ann Arbor.
Almost noon now. Finally made it inside the store, but was getting nervous there for a while. More nervous for Apple employees than anything else (see above).
People keep coming into the front of the store expecting to just “shop.” One can’t feel sorry for these folks; who DOESN’T know iPhone 3G day is today? One lady came up to replace a printer, though, and they let her in and out – with a new box. They probably just wanted to get her out as soon as possible.
The line wait has been a boon in one way: people can read the labyrinthine AT&T disclosures on the brochure they’re handing out. Ann Arbor is a liberal town, and it’s hard to make sense of anything AT&T explains. How can one company, besides Microsoft, be so evil?
One two people in front of me. The lady behind me’s cut-off time was 2:30 p.m. “You’re halfway there,” I told her. California is just now coming on line. Will things get worse?
An Apple rep came out and said the servers are up, but it’s been “up and down” – he said this while giving the roller coaster motion with his hand.
Seems with MobileMe problems and now this, Apple has its hands full.
The line is moving, but super slowly. We haven’t moved in probably 10-15 minutes, but people are walking out of the store with phones again.
The nice lady next to me is off to grab a cookie. Meanwhile, my iBook’s battery is just about out, so more updates when I get into the store and can access an iMac.
QUICKER UPDATE:It’s 10:30. An Apple rep came out of the store and said they were having “technical difficulties,” and that their “corporate server” is down. I just hope this isn’t nation-wide.
Quick update: the Briarwood store’s servers have crashed, which is why the line hasn’t moved.
Jesus! Can they handle that kind of pressure. How long, O Lord, until the natives start smashing things? How much kicking can an iMac take?
A girl came out of the store with the news, and I can only hope for the best. She barely made it out alive.
Who will survive, and what will be left of them. Shit, two hours in a line for nothing can have adverse affects unless they start handing out rum rations, or more coffee.
This last hour or so has been pretty slow. We were moving at a steady pace at first, but not so much now.
Got a call from my buddy Keith, who almost made it with me today. He stopped at the Toledo, OH AT&T store but said “at least 200 people were in line.” Instead, he headed to Bowling Green and got the last phone at their AT&T store.
“But it works,” he said. “I’m talking to you on my new iPhone.”
Right-o. Here in Michigan, we still have a wait. Luckily the lady next to me let me move out of line to take some video, which I’ll be posting later. I took some shots of the poor schmucks at the T-Mobile stand right next to the Apple Store entrance. Why even show up today?
Serious doubts about supply are starting to make us nervous. Keith said they only had 8 GB models at Bowling Green. Will there be a white iPhone for me?
