I had been following the availability of the iPhones online the past few weeks to try and gage at what point they would be widely available.  In addition, Christina and I had sporadically been stopping by the Apple Stores in the area to see what sort of lines were still forming to get an iPhone.  The demand has been phenomenal but I started to get the feeling that the number of people willing to wait in line was starting to slack off a bit while Apple was still able to replenish the stock each day.  So I decided to swing by an Apple Store during my lunch hour last Friday.

The last time I visited this Apple Store during my lunch hour, the line held several hundred people.  This time, I was pleasantly surprised to see the line held about 20 people.  I figured I’d stand there for a few minutes and try to figure out how long it would take me — who knows, maybe I would get lucky.  After 30 minutes, I had decided that it was probably going to take about 1.5 hours at a minimum to get a phone and I really should get back to work.  Christina then called, talked me into staying, and then joined me at the store.  1.5 hours later, I had an iPhone in hand and have enjoyed every minute of it since.  It is just simply a very cool phone.

Much is reported on the camaraderie that forms for people who wait in line for random high-tech gizmos like the Wii and iPhone.  My first experience with such a line left me with a few observations.  First, most of the people in line are obviously fans but seem to enjoy sitting in the line just for the purpose of talking about how crazy the line is.  In a self-fulfilling manner, people seem to just wander over and marvel at the line and then must feel inspired to create an even more impressive line.

Second, the people at the back of the line and the front of the line have duties to uphold.  The rear of the line is the information desk.  As I got in line, I asked the lady in the rear if they had the iPhones in stock, which models, how long she had been waiting, etc.  When I took over her rear-guard position, I became the go-to guy for passing shoppers.  Once a few of them filled in behind me, my time waiting was rather uneventful until I got to the front of the line.

At that point, I became the standard-bearer for the iPhone.  The person at the front of the line has to continually justify to people as they walk by that what I was standing in line for was worth it.  While the people who ask questions at the end of the line are prospective iPhone buyers, the people at the front are the unaware, the dumbfounded, and mocking types.  Many people ask if they can go in the store if they’re not buying an iPhone (I can’t imagine what they would do if you told them they had to wait).  Others just want to know what the hubbub is all about — all unanimously have wide-eyed expressions on their face.  Lastly, you get the folks who want to dismiss the iPhone and unprompted, randomly throw out reasons why they’ve decided not to get the iPhone due to some criticism or rumor.  Their effort, I suppose, is to convince you that, even though you waited this whole time and are now next to get what you’ve been waiting, you know what, I guess I changed my mind — I’ll just go home empty-handed.  Thankfully, at that point, your time in the line is short and so you can quickly pass the standard to the next person.