Well, we officially have our new iPhones - but we're still suffering from lack of sleep!
Being part of the event was pretty fun, but I will admit that camping out for around 20 hours for a phone sounds a bit crazy! Fortunately for us, the weather was nice, we made some great friends in line, had plenty to eat, and were able to find places to use the bathroom - even at 3:30am.
Here's the detailed story of our phone saga this week (skip to the bottom for the video clip if you get bored!):
First, on Monday night we decided we were going to do whatever it took to get our phones on Thursday, so we listed our 3 iPhones on KSL. We backed up the phones and restored them to their factory settings. Within 24 hours we had sold all three phones, which more than covered the cost of the new ones. This was great for us, but meant that from Tuesday night to Thursday morning we would be without phones! I know it sounds geeky, but it really was weird not only being without a phone, but not having email, maps, calendars, texting, and even a calculator at my fingertips! We survived, but it did feel weird. We had to go digging around our basement for an old alarm clock to use on Wednesday morning instead of our usual phone alarms. Fortunately, we had one clock we could use. But only one!
On Wednesday we still weren't positive whether we would be camping out at the Apple store or would try to get the phone from an AT&T store or a Radio Shack - locations which had been rumored to be receiving an inventory of the new device. When I got home from piano lessons around 3pm on Wednesday I was met with several post-it notes from McKay instructing me to turn on the computer and read the screen. Because there was no texting/calling option, McKay had written me a detailed note describing how the Apple store was our only sure option, and that people had begun lining up at 11:00 am. He booked it downtown around 1pm and asked me to bring supplies and join him if I was up to it.
Of course I was ready for the adventure, so I packed a cooler full of way too much food, grabbed some magazines, books and games (most of which we didn't actually use!) and drove to the Gateway. I found a big stretch of grass just outside the mall where people were sprawled, camp chairs were set up and tents were being pitched. McKay was about 16 people back at the front of the line. We set up camp and began counting down the hours!
We got some camera time from Fox 13 news
Apple provided pizza and water for their loyal fans and gave us updates on how the morning would work. We made friends with our fellow line mates and had a really enjoyable night! We only got a couple hours of interrupted sleep the whole night. Around 3:30am I was in need of a bathroom, stat! But all the mall bathrooms were closed and the nearby Hyatt hotel was also locked up. So, I jumped in my car, and drove around Salt Lake City searching for a bathroom option. I finally found the Plaza hotel and was pleased to find the front doors unlocked. All the lobby bathrooms were closed, but I rang the service bell, played the pregnant woman card and got them unlocked for me. Ahhh, sweet relief.
Around 5am people started packing their camping stuff into their cars and getting into a single-file line. Apple brought out donuts and cocoa for everyone (probably around 700 people by 5:30am). The line was moved inside the mall around 6 and we counted down the hour until the Apple store tore down the black curtain which had been hiding the set-up activity that had been happening all night long. Beautiful new posters gleamed from the glass windows and dozens of Apple employees came pouring out of the store playing drums and singing "iPhone, iPhone, iPhone . . . ." to the tune of "Ole" (which I didn't learn until that morning). Apple does a great job with new product launches! But, it didn't take long for the excitement to die down as we went back to waiting and our exhaustion kicked in.
You see, there is one more part of this story that requires addressing. The pre-order.
A week or so ago Apple and AT&T websites opened up the option to pre-order an iPhone. The response was so overwhelming that the networks went on the fritz. McKay spent hours refreshing his screen and wasn't able to get through. Tons of people got their orders canceled for no reason. It was a miracle that anyone got their reservations in. But reserve they did - hundreds and hundreds of people. And they got priority.
There were two lines set up - the reserve line and the standby line. Although we were only about 20 people back it took 2 1/2 hours from the time the store opened for us to get our turn to go in. They let one person in the standby line in for about every 50 in the reserve line. We talked to people who had showed up for their pre-ordered phone at 6am - all fresh, slept and primped - and cruised right in as we sat and rotted in our sleepiness, messy hair, and morning/donut breath.
But, after all that waiting, we finally got our phones!!! And just in time for me to book it to piano lessons. After a few hours I was so exhausted that I could barely keep my eyes open. I drove home and fell into bed for a much needed nap.
This morning, I'm still feeling a little brain-dead, but I'm thoroughly enjoying the features of my new tech product! And it feels even better knowing we pocketed a bit of cash in the process.
