Lines Begin Forming at Apple Retail Stores Ahead of iPhone 4S Launch

[RaNdOm]

I ordered mine at 5PM on Saturday and it's on its way.

Scheduled Delivery:
Friday, 10/14/2011, By End of Day
Last Location:
Arrived - Albuquerque, NM, United States, Thursday, 10/13/2011

Hey I'm in Albuquerque too. I ordered mine on Friday and mine phone arrive here in ABQ at 4:27pm or something like that. Last year I was waiting in live at the Apple store at Uptown. I have a family plan so AT&T lets me upgrade at the full discounted price each year.

 

[macrumormonger]

I'm in LA. My order just arrived in Gardena. I could drive there in 20 minutes and pick it up!

 

[Meandmunch]

You would think Apple would give Woz a new iPhone considering he's on their payroll and founded the damn company.

Why is he waiting in line?

He is paying tribute to his old pal Steve.

 

[Roofy.]

I'm sorry but it blows my mind how anyone would wait in a huge line on launch day when they could just pre order it online and wait for it to come in the mail on LAUNCH DAY. (ok it could come in a day late, but is wasting time on a line really worth it?)

 

[Meandmunch]

I'm sorry but it blows my mind how anyone would wait in a huge line on launch day when they could just pre order it online and wait for it to come in the mail on LAUNCH DAY. (ok it could come in a day late, but is wasting time on a line really worth it?)

Well I pre-ordered mine day one and I am told in an email it will be 14-21 days before they ship. These guys in line will have theirs a week or two before I will. Who's laughing now?

 

[Roofy.]

Well I pre-ordered mine day one and I am told in an email it will be 14-21 days before they ship. These guys in line will have theirs a week or two before I will. Who's laughing now?

me I guess. Mine is supposed to come in the mail tomorrow according to UPS. its already in my home state after just a day of being shipped out.

 

[yyoo]

I'm sorry but it blows my mind how anyone would wait in a huge line on launch day when they could just pre order it online and wait for it to come in the mail on LAUNCH DAY. (ok it could come in a day late, but is wasting time on a line really worth it?)

It's fun. Think of it as a big linear party.

 

[tirerim]

Because some people can't pre-order them. If you purchase through the carriers (which Verizon was successfully pre-ordering an hour before Apple's website this time) they sometimes require the shipping address and billing address to be the same. So this rules out travelers, those away from home, students, etc.

Also people trying to pre-order through Sprint, at least if you're trying to set up a family plan and transfer numbers from other carriers. (Not sure exactly which of those were the problems, but regardless, the Sprint website failed miserably.) And in that situation the Apple website was not an option.

Not waiting in line, personally, because I can delay my gratification, but there are lots of reasons why pre-ordering might not work.

----------

BEST BUY question - please help.

I pre-ordered at best buy on pre-order day.
got the whole e-mail confirmations, etc.
they say I have three days to pick up, etc...

I called to check that MY phone was available on first day, or learn when to come in. And the best buy told me that pre-order doesn't mean anything.

He said you have to be in line in morning and pre-order people will be taken first, but then the stock will just be sold out. In other words, anyone coming in at lunch time or after work in screwed.

anyone have any info?

That's the same thing we were told at Best Buy on Wednesday. Unfortunately, we can't go in on Friday, so who knows when we'll actually get our phones -- they told us end of October at the latest.

 

[bacaramac]

Well mine arrived in Phoenix and just transferred to the center where it loads on the trucks (UPS). I did however meet some pretty cool people last year in line and still talk to them. Never know where you're gonna meet friends. I arrived at 5am at a mall based apple store and was like 30th or so in line.

 

[HitchHykr]

Fantastic! So can you tell me why someone would wait 48+ hours in a line to buy an item that could be ordered online and delivered directly to them?

Yeah, as opposed to wasting endless hours clicking refresh on the web page with the UPS tracking number just to see where our phones are

 

[Fast Shadow]

Woz is a great ambassador for Apple.

 

[OneNature]

yeah, as opposed to wasting endless hours clicking refresh on the web page with the ups tracking number just to see where our phones are

lol

 

[BillyWitchDr]

Maybe if I was 18 or so this would interest me. Making an experience out of it and all. But at 40 years old I'd rather eat poison or be stuck in a two-year Droid contract than wait in line overnight.

This old man needs his sleep.

Just die already and leave the fun to us youngins.

 

[3goldens]

"Steve Wozniak is reportedly the first and only person in line so far at the Los Gatos retail store in California."

Sad!

 

[markthrash]

It's just a social experience. I'd do it if I had an Apple Store around my area. We're supposed to be getting one but not until next December You can bet I'll be in those lines! It just looks fun and like something cool to experience.

 

[jakka]

I've got mine already

I received my new iPhone 4S about 4 hours ago - delivered to the office, no queuing. I ordered with Vodafone Australia on Monday and it arrive this morning at about 10am WST (GMT+8). It's all set up and running having restored nicely from iCloud.

I also bought Keynote and Pages for my iPad 1 to test out iCloud's document sharing - it's awesome! I uploaded a Powerpoint presentation (.pptx) to iCloud (web interface on my Mac) and a minute later it appeared on my iPad in Keynote ready to edit - brilliant.

 

[Applelyte]

One day I will camp out of an Apple store just for the heck of it.

People do it all the time on Black Friday.... I don't see the difference here. Just the fact that they're not saving that $200 on some TV.

Still seems like a fun experience though.

 

[markthrash]

I was talking to a friend of mine that works at Best Buy today, and from their previous experiences with iPhones, they ONLY do pre-order customers and they should hold them at least that entire day. Customers wanting to walk into the store in hopes of buying one were SOL. That's based on prior experience though. Maybe it's changed...? But I don't think they do a first come, first serve concept. It'd be way too unfair to their customers that did pre order. I got my 4 with BB and I felt guaranteed a phone, and got set up with an appt to pick it up. They're not completely heartless

 

[jowie]

O2 Fail... First time I've not been able to buy a new phone over the phone. I called them up during the week to check and the guy said "oh I'm pretty sure you can, we always usually stock the same phones available in our shops". So I rang through right on the nose this morning at 8am, had to keep redialling because of the traffic... Only to get through to this guy who seemed rather unimpressed by my questions.

"Hello, is it possible to order one of the new iPhones over the phone?"

"No sorry, we're only selling them in our stores." (probably thinks to himself, 'here we go, first of a thousand calls with the same question this morning')

"Oh that's a shame. Do you know when I'll be able to buy over the phone?"

"I can't see them being available over the phone for some time."


Oh well that's that then. Guess I'll just enjoy saving my money on SIM-only and wait until they are available. I've been with O2 for nearly 15 years and I've never had this problem. Maybe I'll take the opportunity to see if there are better deals on another network.

oh well

 

[Clown Boy]

"Steve Wozniak is reportedly the first and only person in line so far at the Los Gatos retail store in California."

Sad!

Poor Woz, he is like that mentally ill or alcoholic uncle that turns up on Christmas day and wets himself.

 

[quebec]

Poor Woz, he is like that mentally ill or alcoholic uncle that turns up on Christmas day and wets himself.

Totally can picture that, brilliant

 

[thepan]

(sort of) LIVE from Covent Garden

I got some pics from the Covent Garden.
I managed to drop by and meet Rob Shoesmith (theiPhone5experiment.com) and drip him a pizza.

Check out my tumblr:

[Part.1]
[Part.2]

 

[ctakim]

Poor Woz, he is like that mentally ill or alcoholic uncle that turns up on Christmas day and wets himself.

Woz is a legend who does not take himself too seriously. His personality is the opposite of Steve's. For me it is totally cool that he is there in Los Gatos.

Sheesh! These younger generations!

 

[steadysignal]

Poor Woz, he is like that mentally ill or alcoholic uncle that turns up on Christmas day and wets himself.

harsh. it seems over numerous threads, the concept of funny is still lost on you.

/sarcasm

 

[Versaceboy54]

I know you post is from yesterday, but I just took a drive over there to see bc I live around the block from the mall..and I was very surprised that hardly any people were lined up..People were lined up at the main entrance as well as near east... This was around 715 I checked, I usualy like to wait on line for the whole experience but this time i preordered mind and it will be here today..had I have known that the line would be that short I wouldent have pre ordered but I went by the iphone4 launch the line was so long for that..

Is anyone going to the apple store in Staten Island? Is there anyone there yet because i don't think there was anyone there yesterday.

Regardless i hope to be there at 3 in the morning tomorrow.