sábado, 22 de septiembre de 2012

Waiting in an iPhone 5 Line: The True Story

Mashable OP-ED: This post reflects the opinions of the author and not necessarily those of Mashable as a publication.

I left my apartment at 1:53 a.m. Friday and arrived at the Fifth Avenue Apple Store at around 2:20 a.m. Six hours later, I had an iPhone 5 in my possession.

When the original iPhone was released in 2007, the public was shocked that individuals were willing to wait for hours in line — often overnight and sometimes for several days — just to get a new gadget.

Five years (and six phone launches) later, the lines are an expectation — even if the public at large still finds the concept of waiting overnight for a phone ridiculous.

Still, each year, more and more individuals line up for the latest iPhone (and now iPad). In fact, a sort of cottage industry has developed around Apple launches, with marketers and brands using the lines as way to promote their products and services.

I'm not a stranger to waiting in line for an Apple product. In 2010, I waited in line for seven hours to get the iPhone 4 — and that was after reserving a unit online. I've also done line duty for the iPad, iPad 2 and the new iPad (AKA, the iPad 3). Still, this year was special for me because it was the first time I waited in line at Apple's flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York City.

Doing the Apple Launch, NYC Style

My plan was to get in line around by 2:30 a.m. — in order to get a phone relatively quickly. After a few hours of sleep, I left my apartment in Brooklyn and took an Uber car to midtown.

When I arrived at 2:20 a.m., the plaza surrounding the Apple store was almost completely full. The Apple store created a snaking line out of separation gates — think of the type you weave through at the airport before going through security — and I managed to snag a spot in one of the last rows.

I chose a good time to arrive. The people a row in front of me had arrived around midnight — meaning I saved myself the hassle of waiting longer than necessary. By 6:00 a.m., the line had stretched far past the plaza and around the block to Madison Avenue.

I spent some time talking to some of the other individuals in line. For some, it was their first Apple launch, but others were well-worn veterans. Nearly everyone in my part of the line had at least one Apple product on their person. The guys in front of me sat on the ground, watching YouTube videos on their MacBook Pro computers, taking advantage of Apple's free Wi-Fi.

Others had iPhones and iPads and used Facebook, Twitter and Instagram while chatting in line. I volunteered to let one new line buddy charge his iPhone off of my MacBook Air battery — at 3:00 a.m., he was down to less than 30% of juice — not enough to get through the next five hours.

Acts of Kindness and Camaraderie

This was my first outdoor Apple line and I have to admit — I didn't come prepared. I didn't bring a chair with me like many individuals did — nor had I stocked up on snacks and drinks. Stupidly, I even left my house without a jacket, not taking the wind into account.

Around 4:00 a.m., as I sat on the ground, shivering and watching Hulu on my iPad, a fellow line mate offered me the ultimate act of kindness. He gave me his sweater to wear. For the next four hours, I was warm thanks to this young man.

Eric, a student, is originally from Turkey and has lived in New York for the last year and a half. He got the iPhone 4S, but sent it back to Turkey. He was in line for the iPhone 5 to replace his aging BlackBerry on another carrier.

There were other acts of kindness in the line too. Groups saved spots, volunteered to go on coffee and food runs — and generally kept the energy positive.

It turns out, the camaraderie is one of the reasons people choose to wait in line to begin with. "Where else in New York City, in this day and age, can you have a conversation with a stranger," one young woman stated. It's a good point. The Apple line brings together lots of different people from lots of different backgrounds. In the enclosed space of a line — bonded by the love for technology and Apple — people who might not otherwise speak get to know one another.

"The Apple line could be a great subject for social research," said Isaiah New. New is a junior at Columbia University — where he is double-majoring in sociology and biology. He lost his iPhone 4S two weeks ago. So for him, getting the iPhone 5 wasn't just about getting the latest gadget — it was also about necessity. He enjoyed being in line, even if it did cause his friends to accuse him of being a "perpetrator of capitalist thought."

Getting the Phone

Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the line — at least for me — was how quickly the time seemed to pass. Around 6:15 a.m., the sun started to come up.

Apple employees scurried to remove the black tarp that had covered the glass enclosure surrounding the Apple Store (the store was hidden while it was closed in preparation for the iPhone 5).

Apple staffers came through the line and handed us claim tickets — guaranteeing us a phone. Individuals could get up to two phones — and many did — either buying an extra for a family member or eyeing a quick resale.

By this time, more "normal" patrons started showing up and getting in line, which by now, stretched past Madison Avenue.

Just before 8:00 a.m., Apple employees started chanting before counting down for the opening bell. Those that were first in line paraded across the plaza and down the stairs, ready to take possession of their new toys.

For me, it would be another 20 minutes before I got into the store itself — significantly less time than I had expected. Had I not had to port my number from AT&T to Verizon (running into issues with AT&T's servers on the way that required a manual override from an automated Verizon phone number), I probably would have been out of the store in under ten minutes.

A subway ride back to the office — and here I am.

Was It Worth It?

The new phone is excellent — though I've struggled with getting my favorite apps downloaded (I think Apple's App Store servers are strained, as they seem to be delivering downloads much slower than usual) — but I won't really get to play with it until later tonight.

The big question is, "was it worth it?" Yes. And not just because I got an iPhone 5 today — instead of having to wait a few weeks for my carrier or Apple to ship me a device. It's really about the experience.

The experience made its mark: The strangers I met — the people watching I got to observe — and the odd, communal moments of being outside of a store at 4:00 a.m. in the best city in the world, all because of a new phone. I'm tired, sure. But I have my phone, and I have memories.

That said, I don't know if I would do this again — but ask me again in a year. I'll probably be back.

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