Woz leads charge at iPhone's Apple Store Valley Fair debut (photos)

***AppleInsider*** · 06-30-2007, 01:36 PM

iPhone hopefuls at Santa Clara's official Apple retail store were treated to a unique appearance by the company's co-creator, who both led the queue and provided a once-in-a-lifetime photo opportunity.

True to his word, Apple's Steve Wozniak on Friday night was first in line when the Valley Fair outlet opened at 6PM -- choosing to stand in line for hours and buy the iPhone himself rather than wait for the free phone that fellow Apple founder Steve Jobs had promised to deliver on Saturday.

The lineup was for him a "celebration" that merited a visit, regardless of his company privileges. "I love to see the future early," he had said in advance of the release. To him, the phone was to be one of the first truly "human" phones meant for everyday users.

Understandably, the very earliest of Apple employees was greeted with a warm reception by both the store's employees and those who had arrived later to wait for the phone. But while he was treated as a VIP and had helped distribute fan-made T-shirts commemorating the event, Woz was evidently comfortable with the proceedings, mixing with the crowd instead of making the hasty exit associated with a celebrity.

Woz was also mindful of the retail stores' two-phone limit and walked out of the store with no more than those who followed afterwards, despite his ultimate intent to buy phones for all three of his children as soon as possible.

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

SpamSandwich · 06-30-2007, 02:05 PM

That has to be a very gratifying experience.

Woz's baby is all grows up!

MattRebs · 06-30-2007, 02:18 PM

Woz (the other steve), seems like such a down to earth guy.

BTW, iWoz was a great book.

**melgross** · 06-30-2007, 02:39 PM

I'm just surprised that he wasn't one of the very first people after Jobs to get one, at least a month ago.

Wow. He's put on a lot of weight.

josa92 · 06-30-2007, 02:48 PM

those pictures are really great. I wonder what type of camera they were taken with?

and that's so cool to see your company so popular. wow.

trevorlsciact · 06-30-2007, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by melgross

Wow. He's put on a lot of weight.

He's always been larger, and now he's old; so naturally he would. So has Steve (Jobs), but he has never been as heavy as Woz.

SpinDrift · 06-30-2007, 03:57 PM

The guy's a legend.

GregoriusM · 06-30-2007, 04:38 PM

That tells you a lot about Woz. To stand in line and feel the experience of getting the phone first hand with a lot of people who are into Apple, the company he cofounded, instead of just waiting for one to arrive the next day, tells you just how cool a guy he is. He probably COULD have had an iPhone a month ago, but wanted to have that EXPERIENCE.

And he took home no more than the limit, like everyone else.

Cool. Very cool.

Thank you Steve!

mrparet · 06-30-2007, 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GregoriusM

That tells you a lot about Woz. To stand in line and feel the experience of getting the phone first hand with a lot of people who are into Apple, the company he cofounded, instead of just waiting for one to arrive the next day, tells you just how cool a guy he is. He probably COULD have had an iPhone a month ago, but wanted to have that EXPERIENCE.

And he took home no more than the limit, like everyone else.

Cool. Very cool.

Thank you Steve!

Actually, Jobs called Woz a few weeks ago and asked Woz if he wanted an iPhone shipped to his house. There's an interview out there somewhere explaining his reasoning for waiting in line.

mrjoec123 · 06-30-2007, 06:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrparet

Actually, Jobs called Woz a few weeks ago and asked Woz if he wanted an iPhone shipped to his house. There's an interview out there somewhere explaining his reasoning for waiting in line.

Woz is definitely a cool guy. I'm glad he showed up and mixed it up with the fans.

At the Palo Alto store, Steve Jobs showed up, along with Bill Atkinson (who waited overnight in line) and Andy Hertzfeld. You could see Steve smiling all the way to the bank.

Mr.Scott · 06-30-2007, 08:34 PM

What a cool guy to hang with the crowd of Apple folks! Shows the guy has class and respect for the fellow Apple fan.

Zandros · 06-30-2007, 09:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrjoec123

At the Palo Alto store, Steve Jobs showed up, along with Bill Atkinson (who waited overnight in line) and Andy Hertzfeld. You could see Steve smiling all the way to the bank.

Ooh, Hertzfeld. He isn't still working for Apple, is he?

/Adrian

Andrew The Man · 06-30-2007, 10:48 PM

Steve is such a nice guy! The book iWoz is great as someone said before. He has been through a lot. He survived a plane crash back when apple was a young company. The iphone is flying off the shelves. I have never seen a company this prepared for a big luanch.

SpamSandwich · 06-30-2007, 10:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew The Man

Steve is suck a nice guy!

I hope this was a simple spelling error.

tundraboy · 06-30-2007, 11:28 PM

Class act. 'Nuf said.

redison · 07-01-2007, 01:24 AM

Great to see Woz again!! Good to see that people haven't forgotten him, he is a living legend.

GregoriusM · 07-01-2007, 03:57 AM

That's cool about Andy too! He put in one h of a lot of work into the original Mac ROM!!!

Sooooooo cool to see some of the originals mixing it up with with Apple's fans at a product launch like this. If those guys thought the iPhone was going to be a bust, they wouldn't have set foot near an Apple Store. So, just that tells me this is going to be a "decent" product for Apple. (Ya think??!!)

ecking · 07-02-2007, 07:40 PM

Woz is either a pimp and doing this for fun....or got paid off and is a tool. I think he's pimp! I wonder if he sees any scratch from the new products and iPhone and such.

**melgross** · 07-06-2007, 12:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ecking

Woz is either a pimp and doing this for fun....or got paid off and is a tool. I think he's pimp! I wonder if he sees any scratch from the new products and iPhone and such.

Even you have to admit that that was a pretty dumb post, joking, or not.

ecking · 07-06-2007, 01:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by melgross

Even you have to admit that that was a pretty dumb post, joking, or not.

I know, after I clicked submit I was like "why did I waste my time typing that?"
To make it up to you I'll buy you an iPhone Mel.

**melgross** · 07-06-2007, 01:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ecking

I know, after I clicked submit I was like "why did I waste my time typing that?"
To make it up to you I'll buy you an iPhone Mel.

Thanks.

I always knew that you were a stand-up kind of guy.

But, um, could you wait until they have 3G and real third party apps?

06-30-2007, 01:36 PM	#1
*AppleInsider* Kasper's Automated Slave Join Date: Nov 1997 Posts: 6,151	Woz leads charge at iPhone's Apple Store Valley Fair debut (photos) iPhone hopefuls at Santa Clara's official Apple retail store were treated to a unique appearance by the company's co-creator, who both led the queue and provided a once-in-a-lifetime photo opportunity. True to his word, Apple's Steve Wozniak on Friday night was first in line when the Valley Fair outlet opened at 6PM -- choosing to stand in line for hours and buy the iPhone himself rather than wait for the free phone that fellow Apple founder Steve Jobs had promised to deliver on Saturday. The lineup was for him a "celebration" that merited a visit, regardless of his company privileges. "I love to see the future early," he had said in advance of the release. To him, the phone was to be one of the first truly "human" phones meant for everyday users. Understandably, the very earliest of Apple employees was greeted with a warm reception by both the store's employees and those who had arrived later to wait for the phone. But while he was treated as a VIP and had helped distribute fan-made T-shirts commemorating the event, Woz was evidently comfortable with the proceedings, mixing with the crowd instead of making the hasty exit associated with a celebrity. Woz was also mindful of the retail stores' two-phone limit and walked out of the store with no more than those who followed afterwards, despite his ultimate intent to buy phones for all three of his children as soon as possible. [ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

06-30-2007, 02:05 PM	#2
SpamSandwich Registered User Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 8,453	That has to be a very gratifying experience. Woz's baby is all grows up! "The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield, and government to gain ground." —Thomas Jefferson Proud AAPL stock owner.

06-30-2007, 08:34 PM	#11
Mr.Scott Registered User Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Serenity...Okla. Posts: 96	Pretty Cool! What a cool guy to hang with the crowd of Apple folks! Shows the guy has class and respect for the fellow Apple fan. Mr. Scott

06-30-2007, 10:48 PM	#13
Andrew The Man Registered User Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 3	Steve is such a nice guy! The book iWoz is great as someone said before. He has been through a lot. He survived a plane crash back when apple was a young company. The iphone is flying off the shelves. I have never seen a company this prepared for a big luanch. Last edited by Andrew The Man; 06-30-2007 at 11:30 PM..

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06-30-2007, 02:18 PM	#3
MattRebs Registered User Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 60	Woz (the other steve), seems like such a down to earth guy. BTW, iWoz was a great book.

06-30-2007, 02:39 PM	#4
melgross Global Moderator Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: NYC Posts: 19,612	I'm just surprised that he wasn't one of the very first people after Jobs to get one, at least a month ago. Wow. He's put on a lot of weight.

06-30-2007, 02:48 PM	#5
josa92 Registered User Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Far, Far Away Posts: 191	those pictures are really great. I wonder what type of camera they were taken with? and that's so cool to see your company so popular. wow.

06-30-2007, 03:57 PM	#7
SpinDrift Registered User Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 653	The guy's a legend.

06-30-2007, 04:38 PM	#8
GregoriusM Registered User Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Winnipeg, MB Posts: 135	That tells you a lot about Woz. To stand in line and feel the experience of getting the phone first hand with a lot of people who are into Apple, the company he cofounded, instead of just waiting for one to arrive the next day, tells you just how cool a guy he is. He probably COULD have had an iPhone a month ago, but wanted to have that EXPERIENCE. And he took home no more than the limit, like everyone else. Cool. Very cool. Thank you Steve!

06-30-2007, 11:28 PM	#15
tundraboy Registered User Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 240	Class act. 'Nuf said.

07-01-2007, 01:24 AM	#16
redison Registered User Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 17	Great to see Woz again!! Good to see that people haven't forgotten him, he is a living legend.

07-01-2007, 03:57 AM	#17
GregoriusM Registered User Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Winnipeg, MB Posts: 135	That's cool about Andy too! He put in one h of a lot of work into the original Mac ROM!!! Sooooooo cool to see some of the originals mixing it up with with Apple's fans at a product launch like this. If those guys thought the iPhone was going to be a bust, they wouldn't have set foot near an Apple Store. So, just that tells me this is going to be a "decent" product for Apple. (Ya think??!!)

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