Waiting Out West: iPhone Lines in Silicon Valley
Tech columnist Mike Malone's son waits on the iLine.
— -- Tad Malone, the son of ABCNews.com Technology Columnist Mike Malone, got a call last night. His venture capitalist neighbor wanted an iPhone and was willing to pay Tad and $200 a piece to sit on line at a local AT&T to snag a couple of iPhones for his personal use. Tad and a buddy headed out, sleeping bags in hand to buy one of the gadgets. Here's what they experience while waiting at the AT&T store in Moutain View, California:
9:17 p.m. — My involvement with the Apple iPhone release begins unexpectedly when my neighbor, a venture capitalist, calls and offers me two hundred bucks to wait in line and buy him two iPhones. I'm not interested in the iPhone, but I'm very interested in money. I call my friend Zack, who eagerly accepts my proposition. We go on the Web to search out local AT&T stores here in Silicon Valley. We eventually chose a store located in a strip mall in Mountain View, about four miles from my house, and roughly halfway between Apple headquarters and Google headquarters. More symbolically, we are about a block from the original store where Steve Jobs first sold the Apple I. We pack a tent, sleeping bags, iPods, books and head off.
11: 09 p.m. — When we reach the store., there are only six people waiting in line, including, surprisingly, a guy from my high school bowling class. Among the others are two obvious Apple Fanboys, a small family of three, and three loud and rambunctious women in their late 20s.
1:02 a.m. — When Zack and I return from a snack run to Safeway, we find three people have mysteriously appeared at the front of the line. We debate confronting them, but they are very large, very loud and appear to be Samoan.
1:07 a.m. — A couple of these newcomers climb back into their car, fire up the stereo and send a throbbing bass line through our ears. Who are these people? They are upsetting the MacBoys.
2:11 a.m — We finally fall asleep in an old Boy Scout tent. I've camped on hard ground many times, but nothing's harder than cement sidewalk. And I've camped in strange places —like the wilds of Namibia with elephants walking by outside — but nothing is quite as strange as camping in a suburban Silicon Valley strip mall. I don't dream of iPhones.
7:50 a.m. — We awaken to our tent being shaken violently. It's an employee of the adjacent store, Massage Envy. Supposedly our tent is partially blocking one of their windows. We are upset, but groggily agree to take down our tent.
8:52 a.m. — People all morning have been driving by, blatantly staring at us as if we're a piece of performance art.. At first it was uncomfortable, but by now we're getting used to it. I don't blame them. I wouldn't be here either if I was just waiting to buy a stupid phone.
9:00 a.m. — False alarm. An armored car pulls up, suspiciously directly in front for the AT&T store. We rush the initially concerned, but then the amused, driver. He denies any involvement with the iPhone. It is the high point of our morning.
10:00 a.m. — We are being moved. Apparently the AT&T store has received so many complaints from passers-by about our presence, that we are being displaced to the opposite side of the store entrance. We move sullenly, like sheep. More and more patrons are now arriving at the store, most assuming that no one else would be here. Little do they know.
10:36 a.m. — People walking by now are becoming indifferent to our presence. It seems we have already become a fixture on the sidewalk, like homeless people. I'm already missing the attention.
11:30 a.m. — There's some confusion over the ownership of the iPhones once they are purchased. Another guy in line is desperately trying to figure out how to switch his name to his sister's on the iPhone after he buys it. Why so strict, Apple?
11:55 a.m — A UPS truck arrives in front of the store. The boxes delivered are small and suspicious. But everyone now is too hot and weary to be excited.
12:24 p.m. — Some guy shows up with an honest-to-goodness real iPhone. Most likely an Apple employee. He demonstrates a few of the features to us, and then quickly leaves. Now we're motivated again to stick around. Sometimes it's nice to live in Silicon Valley.
1:05 p.m. — Time has ground to a halt. Zack tells me that noon feels like three hours ago. I've had enough caffeine now that I'm experiencing a dull throbbing on top of an empty stomach. It's starting to get ugly around here.
1:13 — We now apparently look like refugees. People passing by no longer interact with us, but avert their eyes. I feel like I'm behind a chain link fence. Fed Ex has just arrived with more boxes.
2:36 — All day there has been a parade of cheap sports cars in front of us revving their engines and burning rubber, apparently to impress us. We're obviously a captive audience.
3:26 — Zack and I are now reduced to putting together a cheap puzzle of a tiger we just bought at Rite-Aid.
4:01 — They have closed the doors to the AT&T store. They'll re-open at 6:00 p.m. with the iPhones. They tell us that we will be taken into the store in groups of seven. That puts us in the second group.
4:57 — Putting my face to the window I can see employees inside stacking accessories, and putting up new posters. Looks like they've just gotten their marching orders
5:50 — The crowd outside is getting restless. The line now stretches more than a hundred feet and around the end of the last store. Dozens of new people are showing up by the minute — most come to the front of the line, see our angry faces, and look crestfallen when we point to the distant end of the line. Hey, we've paid our dues, pal.
5:55 — Almost. The guy next to me is especially jumpy — he's an actor and has to be on stage at 7 p.m.
6:00 — The actor accidentally just dropped his Treo on the sidewalk. The crowd groans. Hey, he shouts, it doesn't matter anymore! The crowd cheers.
6:04 — We're in! We're buying!
6:40 — We have the phones. The store applauds Zack and I as we walk out, bags in hand The crowd outside applauds as well — they don't know that within minutes we'll be dropping those same bags off at someone's house. I stink, I'm tired, and I'm depressed. And I'm going to buy an iPhone 2.0.