Pictures: How I Got My Apple iPhone 3G
Now that I have recovered from my jet lag, I have been catching up on news, the biggest story being the iPhone 3G launch that I missed. Well, not entirely - there were quite a few stores in Rome that had the new iPhone. Today I began standing in line for an iPhone 3G at the Apple Store at 7am. Five hours later I had a shiny new black 8GB iPhone 3G. This was my first experience of waiting more than a few hours to buy anything so I decided to catalog my experience with (iPhone) pictures.
Entering Lenox Mall at 7am
You can’t sit on the floor.
The security guard informs us we are not allowed to sit on the floor. He is flooded with questions. Once he leaves, everyone sat back down again. He came back a few times to tell us the same thing.
No problem..
Wise line-waiters moved several couches from other parts of the mall.
The line grows
The line grows at a rate of one or two people every 5 minutes. People keep busy with everything from crossword puzzles, playing on their iPhone, listening to music or chatting up with other line-waiters about the iPhone 3G.
Opening
The doors are about to open at 9am. Little did I know it would take another 3 hours to get my iPhone 3G.
Critical Mass
By 10am the line had grown to 150 inhabitants and wrapped around the atrium. At this point only about 4 people had received their iPhones. It was done one at a time and seemed to take 20 minutes per person. Around this time Apple employees went through the line and instructed us to dial 611 to find out if our account was eligible for the iPhone 3G and at the subsidized price. A classmate in line with me was disappointed to discover that he would not be able to pickup an iPhone 3G as he was not the primary account holder.
Are you iReady?
Apple hands out a flier detailing information we need to provide to make things quicker.
Refreshments
Apple hands out water bottles.
My time has come
It’s my turn to enter.
Activation
After I walked in, I told the Apple employee I wanted the 8GB iPhone 3G. He went away to the backroom and came back. After telling him I wanted the 200 SMS text messages plan and was fine with the additional charges and terms, he charged my debit card and instructed me to unbox my iPhone 3G. Activation was as simple as plugging in the iPhone into a display computer and opening iTunes. The AT&T plan upgrade was all done on the Apple employee’s handheld.
Done!
Famished, I headed to an eatery and let iTunes backup my old iPhone. The backup and restore process took an unreasonably long amount of time.
iPhone 3G Thoughts?
I’ll make another post about my iPhone 3G thoughts but overall I think it has successfully lived up to the hype. The App Store is a huge step for making the iPhone a versatile platform. I’m most interested in location-aware applications. Similar to the Dash Express, I just want to get in my car, or in this case whip out my iPhone 3G, and find a place to eat, look up movie times and get directions, et cetera.
Do you have an iPhone 3G? Do you plan on getting one? What apps do you like? I’m still looking around for some good ones to tinker with.
I love my iPhone 3G… I had to wait 3 hrs in line, and 1 hr in the store :)
I bet it was killing you to be in Rome during the debut of the phone. I’m going to have to wait a bit to get out of my two verizon lines. Seems like a bit of a hassle for me, but I want one so bad so I can update the site on the go!
Cheers to your new toy, you seem to get alot of them and I am jealous.
You said everyone before you took about 20 minutes each to activate. How long did it take you once you got in?
Great narration. Congrats on finally getting one! I’m getting one next month. Hopefully the lines won’t be as long.
I just got my 8GB iPhone 3G yesterday through a direct fulfillment order at an AT&T store that I placed on Friday the 11th. I’m loving it so far.
Just trying to figure out whether or not I should apply the Invisible Shield I got for it.
Congrats Paul. I don’t think i will get an iPhone very soon. In my country, its price is going to be very expensive. Maybe i should try getting one from the US that can be unlocked.
hey stammy,
I too waited in line… But on launch day. I was at an att store in Rochester mn and waited 7 hours. Being 7th in line I got to be in the first group in, being that I went in and pre-qualified for credit, I was the first one out! (15 minutes later) subsequently got interviewed by local news and went home… Only to find out about the epic apple server fail! All in all great experience!
My favorite apps right now are tap tap revenge and twitterific. Close seconds are save benjis and evernote. I’m excited foe the months to come to see what developers do with this great piece of hardware!
All the best!
I agree about the App Store, but you don’t need the iPhone 3G for that.
I headed to Lenox mall last Friday to pick up the new iPhone at around 10am thinking that there wouldn’t be a waiting line and I would be able to head back to work 30mins later or so. Well, 11 hrs later (of waiting in line), I got my iPhone 3G. Totally destroyed my Friday but I went home listening to Pandora which made it all feel worth it.
Oh, and im glad i didnt buy it just for 3G, because it’s pretty spotty here in Atlanta.
My iPhone is great, except for the battery life when 3G is on.
The best part is the App Store. Second place would go to the GPS.
As I am typing this on my iPhone in landscape mode, I notice that the keyboard’s has decreased. You might want to include that part in your review :)
@Derek - try twittelator, I think it’s better than Twitterific, and ad free.
@Mike - true that, but what’s the fun in using the location-aware apps without GPS, and Pandora without 3G? no fun.
@Wei - I think it took about 10 minutes from when I walked in the store and when I walked out with a working phone.
Paul, Nice post. I was very lucky on launch day. I was 80th or so in line and a guy who was bout 40th gave me his overnight spot because he either gave up or had to leave for some reason. I had only gotten there at 6:45 AM and some people behind me had been there since 5:00 AM.
I was in the store by 8:45 AM and the CSR was glad to help me. He did a great job. Unfortunately the systems were bogged down so bad that each screen of the account setup process took at least 5 minutes. Then my application went for ‘analyst review’ and we had to call in. It was immediately approved with no deposit necessary.
I was finally able to get home about 2.5 hours later and then I quickly realized that the iTunes activation process wasn’t working which left my phone bricked for another 2 hours.
I was very happy when my iPhone 3G decided to activate and I was able to finally experience all the iGlory.
I have found that the Application Store is one of the best things that Apple could have done for the iPhone. Here are my list of Apps that I have installed:
- AIM
- Twitterrific Premium
- MySpace
- Facebook
- MPG
- Remote
- Tap Tap Revenge
- Box Office
- Bible
I would recommend each and every one of these apps. I have only spent a total of $11 in all my app buying so far.
Sounds like you had a pretty easy time getting it activated despite many other peoples issues with that part of purchasing. I still have my old iPhone and am not sure whether or not I’m going to buy the new one, my current iPhone works just fine and I don’t have 3G coverage in my area, so the only thing I would get out of the iPhone 3G is slightly better battery life and GPS but I’m still not sure if that is worth the extra $10 a month for the data plan.
Glad to hear you had better luck than me, Paul…waited in line for 5 hours before getting in the store, only to find out they’d *just* run out of 16GB Blacks…guess I’ll be there bright and early Friday morning :-/.
I find the hype surrounding the iPhone a bit much, but I’ve been impressed with what I’ve read about the gadget and would probably consider getting one if the monthly price was lower and it was available on the 3 network in Britain. Apple’s partner network O2 is the most patchy for 3G and very expensive, while 3 is a far more reliable 3G-only carrier with coverage across the country (not just towns) and considerably cheaper tariffs. I currently use a Nokia E61 on 3 and it’s reasonable, but a bit pants compared to a location-aware 3G iPhone! I would never have considered the original iPhone; 3G is the norm for networks here now, and GPRS/EDGE is thought of as rather old technology.
However, I would never, ever queue up for hours on end to buy a gadget. I was most perplexed when watching TV coverage of people being cheered… for walking into a shop, handing over money and getting goods in return! It strikes me as a bit desperate. In the same vein, this post strikes me as a bit daft; a picture diary of a trip to a shopping centre to buy an item?! And as for the “unboxing” pictures that seem to have appeared all over the web…
Paul, great post. I look forward to each of your post. I have one request. What type of case, if any, do you use for your iphone. Also if you wouldn’t mind sharing what do you pay per month to use your iphone?
I am moving into an area with AT&T service and am dying to get an iphone? Just wondering if you find the price plans of AT&T worth owning and iphone.
Thanks
Got my 16GB version on launch day. To be honest apart from the extra 8GB it’s not worth the upgrade in my opinion. Battery life on 3G is shocking so i am basically using it as i would the Edge one.
But since in the UK all it cost me is £59 for the extra space I am happy with that.
I wish somebody at the Perimeter store had told me to call *611 beforehand, because I ended up waiting four hours for a phone they wouldn’t let me buy since I wasn’t the primary account holder. Unlike your happy blog post, I wrote a bitter one: http://www.bokista.com/post/42253217/bad-apple. I’m glad it didn’t go one at a time there, as I was the 100th person in line.
I’m returning mine. The battery life is horrible, 3G isn’t as pervasive as AT&T’s maps will lead you to believe (I’m in Grayson, and they have me in a solid blue 3G area, and I get no 3G access out here). The final kicker was that my Harmon Kardon Drive & Play doesn’t fully work with the iPhone3G. It will play through music, but it won’t charge the phone.
I’ve been running battery tests since I got it on Friday, and the best I’ve been able to get w/ 3G and Loc. Svcs on and all others off was 12hr 45m standby, and 5hr 26m usage. With 3G turned off and EDGE on in it’s about 16hr standby, and about 7hr 15min usage. This is about half of what my year old iPhone gets.
So for me, it’s a big disappointment. Although the sealed battery wasn’t a big deal with the first iPhone, I think with iPhone3G it is almost a deal breaker. I don’t know many people who will accept less than a full day on a single charge.
Bought one yesterday. Walked into the mall, went to the Fido kiosk, asked for an iPhone and bought it. No lines or waiting whatsoever; I was the only person at the kiosk for the entire half an hour it took to activate the damn thing.
The iPhone was left over from Friday, too. Guess there is very little demand for the 8GB in Canada…
Hey Paul,
What did you do with your old iPhone?
I’m sticking with my 1st Gen iPhone. I’m cheap and don’t want to pay the higher data and text cost. I’m way more excited about the App Store than 3G and GPS. The 2.0 software was basically like getting a new phone!
I saw your post and said “why do people have to blog about buying a telephone?” So, I pressed j and your pictures were replaced with FIRE!!
http://laughingsquid.com/flamethrower-shooting-gallery-by-matisse-roxie/
Go Go Google Reader!
@Paul, With my iPod Touch, location aware apps function rather well. Granted, it’s not as great as GPS, but it still remains rather accurate. I also tend to be in the range of Wifi, so I have no issues with that. I can see your points, but I really think the best thing about the new iPhone is being given out for free by Apple.
I didn’t get a first gen phone, but ordered the 3G on the 11th and had it delivered last Friday.
I have to say, it’s the most exquisite gadget I’ve ever seen. It’s really a handheld computer that just happens to have telephone functionality. I’ve found battery life to be okay, so long as you switch off the wireless hunting. I get a full work days use out of it, which includes almost constantly listening to music, many phone calls and texts, constant email pushing and a fair bit of browsing.
Favourite apps?
Tap Tap Revenge is awesome :)
NearPics is fantastic. Fire it up, it works out where you are, shows you photos that were taken nearby and, if you want to go to that location, just tap the photo and it’ll plot a route from your current location.
Got one on launch day. Left the store with it still in the box, seal intact, because iTunes servers were down so they couldn’t do the activation. Yay for doing my own unboxing! I don’t understand why they’re doing the activation in the store in the first place… you’ve already gotten your AT&T contract by that point through their little portable Palm OS-looking thingy (so strange to see them using non-Apple technology).
Twitterrific > Twittelator. Better UI, less buggy. I mean, for f***’s sake, a “Twitter 911″ button?
As an OmniFocus-using GTDer, I had to go for the iPhone app. Great version 1.0, can’t wait to see it evolve.
Games:
Get Cube Runner. It’s free, and it’s challenging, and addictive. Enigmo has great graphics, sound, and control, and it’s a bunch of fun. Texas Hold’em is good if you like poker. Tap Tap Revenge is fun.
NetNewsWire is sort of depressingly bad. I hope they work on it, because I use NNW (with NewsGator syncing) on my Mac. Maybe it’s time to make the plunge and use Google Reader (which has a better iPhone client).
Get yourself a case. It scratches, and the darn thing is slippery! I got the Contour Hardskin (black). Photos here and here. Only complaint is that I had to shave back some of the volume switch opening to more easily move the switch from silent to ring. 30 second mod. I also got some screen protectors in the Apple store, and have been liking the glare reduction they provide.
Why on earth didn’t you spring for the 16GB version? I’d have paid another $100 for a 32GB version if they offered it. Don’t have a lot of music/videos/photos?
Still don’t think you can compete with my story/fiasco.
http://26dayswithoutaniphone.com
:)
Brad
What of your old iPhone?
@Mark: I’ve been using Google Reader on my Mac with Fluid and their webapp and it’s wonderful. There’s an a native iPhone app that syncs with GReader called Bylines I believe, but it costs $10. I’d rather use the webapp…
What’s the monthly plan over there in the states? Here in Austria it’s around 40 US dollars on a 2 year contract.
I pre-ordered an iPhone 3G with T-Mobile Germany as soon as this was possible for existing iPhone customers — more than a week before it came out.
I’m still waiting for T-Mobile to ship it. Those bastards (sorry) sold their stack to new customers instead of shipping the new iPhones to their loyal customers.
Why the f*ck did I pre-order this thing, T-Mobile? Asshats.
Congrats on your new iPhone Paul. I am not enough of an Apple fanboy to go out and buy one right now, I can’t stand lines and I don’t know how you sat through that line for so long!
At least you got refreshments while waiting in line. I got mine on the first day of release and I waited over 6hrs in a suburb of Houston (Webster, TX). The line was unreal, I was at an Apple store in a mall and people kept walking by and looking at as like we were crazy, some laughed at us. We didn’t care! All in all, it was a surreal experience…love my phone though!
“What are the iPhone Apps you use?”
I’m trying out the Evernote app, so I can take photos of business cards and later do text search on them.
I’m also curious of the loopt app, although it ain’t available in portugal (where I live).
I think Gtalk is cool (get it with a safari bookmark). I then activate ping.fm as a buddy to post my micro-posts…
Finally, I too am looking for more location aware apps.
Also if you know any cool Wifi locator tool for the iphone (I mean graphically) I’m happy with that too…
Well, I’m very envious of all the new iPhone owners. I want one more than anything, but the plan here in Canada is still too crumby to sway my decision not to get one. The main reasons being that, as much as I’d love it, I don’t want to be locked into a 3-year contract, and I can’t afford $2700+ over those 3 years just for phone service. Also, Canada’s monopolistic telecom Rogers is notorious for changing the rules in the middle of the game - I’m sure the rates they’ve established right now will go up in 6 or 8 months; they always do.
Appropriately, the demand for the iPhone 3G up north has been nothing like it is in the states. Many Apple stores didn’t sell one iPhone all day long on launch day. Those who did go and buy one certainly had no lines to deal with. Sad, really.
Having said all that, I’m going to seriously look into the iPod touch. I’ll just have to settle for carrying two gadgets instead of one. No biggie.
Even with a semi-pricey plan with no text messages, the 3G is great. I’d have one if not for my student budget. There’s no way I’d stand in line for half a day to fork over the dough, though.
Glad you got one, here in L.A. no such luck, and definitely no refreshments. 100 people in line at the Sherman Oaks, CA store and no shipment of Iphones, no not one. I finally “pre-ordered” with ATT and they tell me it’s an “average” 20 day wait!
Congratulations on your new iPhone………..I hope to get mine soon
I like the iPhone 3G. I can say that I really did not “need” the $200 upgrade. It does feel a lot nice and more comfortable. After using the phone for a week, lots of small things have been improved. Speaker is much much better, voice quality is better and louder 3G is fast and GPS is good when it works.
App store is great and i love Remote, Shazam, Loopt, AIM, Tap Tap Revenge, Twinkle, Pandora, Evernote and VNC.
Problems.
2.0 is rushed, really buggy and unresponsive at times. Not nearly polished as 1.1.4 was. Even my jailbreak on 114 was better then 2.0. Backup of the iphone takes ages and maps and sms crash alot. Those 2 should never crash.
front/back Camera - WTF? enough said
Video? srsly..
ATT 3G coverage?
How incredible the iPhone 3G can attract so many people. Congrats on your new iPhone..
@billiam - do you see the advertisements on the top and side of this blog? They actually make some money.
There is still a huge line at the Lenox Mall Apple store everyday. I went to the At&t store across from Lenox Mall. I walked in ordered my phone, did my credit check, and walked out in about 30mins. I go back next week to pick it up. She said next week it will take about 10 mins to get it setup. Why wait in a 3 or 4 hour line?
Drive past Lenox and go straight to the Apple Store Mall of Georgia. More stock and less line.
I picked up a 16GB white a few days ago at the Apple store. I waited in an extremely long 2 person line lol. Took about 5 minutes total.
I went there to fix my 1G iphone (line on the screen), and they replaced it for free. Which immediately went on Ebay, 24 hr auction, $1 starting bid, and ended up selling for $545!!!!! So $545 - $299 = $246 profit…it’s crazy people are willing to pay that much!
Anyways, love the new iPhone, runs really great. No complaints thus far.
Awww… soo niiccee…
I really want one.
I still can’t really decide between a 32GB iPod touch or a 16GB white iPhone 3G. But I think this baby has won it for me..
I should be getting one soon. I hope. Pleeaassseee… someonee… ;) kidding.
http://DarJon.co.nr
LOL you were one of those people who I saw in the line and wondered is it that serious!!. Then again I recently got mine and I can totally understand why you had to do what you had to do…Iphone 4 life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol
Paul, I finally got my iPhone. I hated AT&T’s direct fulfillment plan, so I waited until AT&T actually had them in stock before making my purchase. I have to say, having the Internet whereever is pretty amazing!
@Jared - glad you finally got it!