Five iPhone launch day survival tips
Gadget lovers and Apple fans around the US are starting to break out in a sweat with the June 29 launch of the iPhone now just days away. From 6pm this Friday a legion of expectant iPhone fans will finally start to enjoy the iPhone experience for themselves.
The phone will be available from Apple and AT&T stores, with a retail price of US$499 for the 4GB version, and US$599 for the 8GB version. iPhone users will be bound to a two year service contact with mobile phone network AT&T, which has a five year exclusive deal with Apple to distribute the iPhone in the US.
To deal with the expected high demand for the world’s great gadget*, US distributor AT&T has hired an extra 2000 temporary sales staff to man its 1800 stores. AT&T stores will close at 4.30pm on Friday, and reopen from 6pm to 10pm to launch the iPhone.
Clearly, AT&T is expecting a frenzy of activity on Friday, so here are five survival tips to help you make sure get through iPhone launch day.
1. If you’re a rich gadget-freak, just hire someone to wait in line for you. Ads have appeared on craigslist offering people a waiting service. Take this example from Josh:
“If you want an iPhone but don’t want to stand in line i have a solution. I will stand in line for you and about 1-2 hours before the iPhone is buyable I will trade my place in line with you for how much we agree on prior to the date. Make me an offer. I will stand in line starting as early as Thursday afternoon depending on how much u offer.”
The only problem is that some “professional waiters” are asking for up to $250.
2. Watch the official iPhone guided tour video instead. Watching the 20 minute video will feel just like waiting in a line. You’ll be told in gory detail why the iPhone is a revolutionary product by a black-long-sleeve-T-shirt-wearing Steve-Jobs wannabe. Excruciating!
3. Order the iPhone online. Apple will be selling the iPhone online, though at the moment, Apple’s web site still says “coming soon” for the “buy online” option.
4. Have an iPhone launch day party! Grab a group of friends and wait in line together! That’s what the chaps from PC World are doing. Those zany guys will be there to cover “whatever craziness may transpire when the things go on sale,” and they say that they’ll be disappointed if nothing bizarre happens. Let’s hope something bizarre happens.
5. Don’t buy one! Some industry insiders are concerned that the iPhone has been over hyped, and that when people actually get the iPhone, they’ll be disappointed. However, what’s more worrying, is that neither AT&T nor Apple has as yet, revealed the details of the service contracts that you’ll have to enter into when buying an iPhone. If you do decide to go ahead and buy an iPhone on launch day, make sure you check out the service contract very carefully, and work out the total cost of ownership over the life of the contact.
* tongue in cheek, though as launch day gets closer, I’m starting to think that it’s just true.
Related Posts:
June 24th, 2007
Paying someone to wait in line for you might work at an apple store, but that won’t fly at an at&t store where customer will have to sign a 2yr contract to get the phone.
September 13th, 2007
I can’t wait so see the release of the iPhone in Europe. But I bet there will not be these long lines of crazy people waiting for a phone! I also hope that Apple ads UMTS in the near future…