iPhone 4 Launch: Thankfully I was indoors

Eight hours in line at the Apple Store Perimeter (Atlanta) and I’ve got the iPhone 4 in hand. Another fanboy badge of honor earned. I set foot in the store at 6pm, spent maybe 15 minutes to verify my ID and complete the transaction. Walked out past the non-res line and kindly asked the leader what time he’d arrived; 4:30am, he said. But at least the store has an iPhone for him today. Many non-res folks didn’t make the cutoff earlier when the staff informed them that there’s a very limited number of units for non-res customers.

I truly did not expect the reservations line to be so long and the staff to be somewhat slow at turning over customers. I think one of the problems was them required to activate the phones on the spot. More power to those who were able to place orders and have them delivered! Some folks in the reservations line complained about why selling iPhones today to non-res customers at all. I could see that point of view, but I suppose Apple simply wanted launch day to be truly open to the public. Those who pre-ordered/reserved do gain an advantage, even if just slightly.

Luckily the Perimeter store is indoors, unlike some other locations where people had to endure the heat. Staff members were kind enough to bring foods and drinks periodically just to keep us alive long enough to get our credit card numbers. Later on I heard people started jokingly ask for alcoholic drinks rather than bottled water. That would’ve made a very interesting line…

So now I’ve wiped out the 3GS to prep it for resell, and the 4 is enduring the unexciting process of syncing. This step has always been, in my view, the most anti-climatic part of the whole ordeal. So more reviews to come in the coming days… stay tuned!

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Tagged as: Apple, iPhone