2. Rumors About iPhone Availability

Thur, June 28th 8:45 AM

We're hearing that Apple stores will have around 500 phones each, but that AT&T stores may get really small numbers, 100 on down. It's now clear that you will be able to purchase phones online on Friday, but you're not going to see them until some time next week. If you don't need one like yesterday, stay out of the lines and let us editorial types ignored by Apple buy 'em on Friday evening.

Where and When to Wait

Wed, June 27th 3:16 PM

Finding a good store to wait at to buy an iPhone is getting to feel like playing a video game without the weapons and a joystick.

We need to buy two iPhones, one for testing here in the US and the other for testing in our various sites in Europe. We're trying to figure out where we should wait to buy the phones and when we should start waiting.

Rumor has it that there will be about 200 phones in each AT&T store location and more than that at at each Apple store. So, we're already cruising a number of neighborhoods to see if lines have started forming. It's surprisingly quiet at most venues. However, our waiters are ready to get in line at any moment, should lines appear to be growing toward one hundred or so people. All of our assumptions are based on the idea that all stores selling the iPhone will sell only one phone to a customer during iPhone super-hype days.

We're beginning to worry about the eBay opportunists or their low wage slaves who will want to get as close to the front of the line as possible. We also are expecting that one opportunist will field a herd of maybe 10 slaves. This is starting to feel like a video game. The only things lacking are the high-powered [Kazoom!!!] weapons and a joystick.

It's just a lot of people circulating around a bunch of stores kind of eyeing each other suspiciously. Maybe it's a good thing we don't have weapons.