Sat in line for 3 1/2 hours... yet no phone :(

Yesterday was a BAAAAD day for me. Checked the Apple website. Drove from my apartment (just south of Baltimore) over to McLean, VA to stand in line at the Apple store for 3 1/2 hours. Some lady (in her sixty's, stupid, and obviously sexually frustrated as noted by her need to piss me off after 3 hours online) stopped me to ask if I thought the phone wouldn't be there tomorrow. She just wouldn't let go. Finally I told her husband that if I wanted abuse from a wife about standing in line for all that time, I could get it easily enough without having to take it from his. Jackass.

Back to the point.. after 3 1/2 hours, and several announcements by the Apple Store manager that there would be plenty of black 8G phones, an AT&T rep came out. He announced that you must be the primary account holder (no problem there), the phone couldn't be on a business account (again, not a problem), and you MUST be eligible for an upgrade... meaning, if you purchased a phone last May (like I did), even if you took a full two year contract, you weren't eligible to buy the iPhone at the advertised price --which is subsidized by AT&T. Only those who enter into NEW contracts, or were previously iPhone purchasers were eligible... I was not one of them.

So listen here Apple! I've been an Apple customer forever. I own seven Macs including a MacBook Air, three Intel MacBooks, a G3 that one of my kids now uses, a Mini, and an old tower G3. Additionally, I've given two iPhones as gifts... you'd think Apple would offer some kind of customer appreciation... maybe advanced purchase for those of us who are dedicated solely to Apple?? Guess that's to much to ask.

ATT? You're not off the hook. I pay for two phones on ATT, and have since before you were Cingular.. almost 10 years! You can bet that I would have not carried my obligatory two year contract.. I'm a high turnover customer. Yes, you too... Jackass.

So where do I stand? No phone for me! At least not until October 3, when ATT says I'm eligible for an upgrade. Until then, I'll lick my wounds, and consider carefully if it's worth the money. My previous plan had been to retire my blackberry, but I'm kinda likin the new version now.

Ciao!
J

iPhone 3G

Today marks the third day I've driven to either an Apple Store or an ATT Store... on all three occasions, as Maxwell Smart would say "Missed it by THIS much!"

I gotta tell you.. Apple is getting buzz off of the release, but today, on this third day, after driving into the Apple Store in the mall in Columbia, MD, I'm just pissed. Upon arrival I (like the rest of the lemmings) stood in line. The folks in front of me told me they'd been there for two hours, and the guy behind me said he'd done the same yesterday. Today, the number 29 person in line found he'd get a phone (a white 16G model), but the rest of us should try back tomorrow. The grumbling in the line from person 29 and beyond was not pleasant. I think we all felt the same way.

Now here's the deal... Apple should have figure this out. The damn thing can't be ordered online, and while ATT is willing to order one, you have to do it from the store. On top of that, I'm not willing to shell out an extra hundred bucks for the 16G model (let alone a WHITE one! Who the hell wants a white one?!) when the battery (as reported by WSJ) has a significantly lower battery life... I'll pay $200 to send my Blackberry to Blackberry heaven, but not for a white 16G model. I'm also not willing to spend an extra hundred bucks for a product that I just don't want...

I'll wait, and stew.

More tomorrow.. assuming I actually get one.

Jeff