At the top of the news tonight we have yet another record day of casualties in Iraq, gas prices have now gone over the $5.00 mark across the nation and a small nuclear device has been detonated in Korea,
BUT first we are going to take you to Fifth Avenue in New York City where 14 people began a lonely 7 day vigil to be the first with the new Apple Iphone,
This is probably exactly what will happen every day over the next week. I suspect these people are there by their own initiative but if they were paid by Apple - say $1000.- per 24 hrs it would be the marketing bargain of a lifetime for anyone BUT Apple. For approx $100 000.- they get editorial coverage on just about every news channel in the land (and beyond, I am sure)! The fact that they most likely pay nought is truly amazing and must rile their competitors. The flip side is that these people in line give the impression that Apple users are, how shall I put it? super nerdy, a little desperate and quite insane (I mean, how great can a phone be?). But this is a minor blip in the marketing freebee Apple is getting. Besides, Americans are used to people lining up to go on TV shows to embarrass themselves and air all their dirty laundry in public. By comparison the people in line for an iPhone strike me as wholly reasonable.
The flip side is that these people in line give the impression that Apple users are, how shall I put it? super nerdy, a little desperate and quite insane (I mean, how great can a phone be?). But this is a minor blip in the marketing freebee Apple is getting. Besides, Americans are used to people lining up to go on TV shows to embarrass themselves and air all their dirty laundry in public. By comparison the people in line for an iPhone strike me as wholly reasonable.
This is exactly why I hope they are getting paid to do this rather than being out there on their own accord. This is really embarrassing. It is stuff like this that makes Americans look dumb for the most part. Please, oh please let Apple's money be somewhere involved.
Some pictures and stuff, apparently there is a man, woman and baby in line... absolutely ridiculous
A sidewalk of misguided people. Truly sad. Says quite a bit about the mental state of the US, but then again, if for a fleeting moment, something as simple helps to reliever the crapper that has become many peoples lives then so be it, but it is still sad to see.
At the top of the news tonight we have yet another record day of casualties in Iraq, gas prices have now gone over the $5.00 mark across the nation and a small nuclear device has been detonated in Korea,
BUT first we are going to take you to Fifth Avenue in New York City where 14 people began a lonely 7 day vigil to be the first with the new Apple Iphone,
over to you Henrietta, tell us what's going on over there......just how long is Apple predicting it will take people to get this new device? Is this a major concern for the company?
No doubt people are off their rocker now. I like Apple too but people PLEASE focus on non-materialistic issues. I'm not too proud of being human at the moment.
I don't get it either... it's not that different to the current one, hardware wise. The software changes can be installed on the current gen.
Well, forsome of us, there are great advantages, for example, I am lucky enough to live in a 3g saturated area...I have yet to find a carrier who doesnt have good 3g coverage here...(Indianapolis (inside the 465 loop...)) and the wifi based locations tracking SUCK DONKEY BALLS in Indiana (I on multiple occasions have seen the entire city circled when I click the where am i button.), whereas the GPS will be accurate...
Also, sold my phone for $250 so that leaves me enough to get the phone, with tax, and $24 in apps...so why not...
Lovely people, but ultimately insanely materialistic.
You are missing the point! And your arrogant indignation is getting tiresome...
Camping out for an iPhone has as much to do with iPhone lust as spending a week in the mountains fishing has to do with loving to eat fish.
There are much easier and cheeper ways to get fish. But the thousands of people who spend their entire vacation fishing are not stupid--they enjoy the process.
I am quite certain that those people in line are there to enjoy the process. Sure, they want the iPhone--I am not claiming that there is no materialism involved at all--but they know there are easier ways to get one.
You may as well make fun of anybody who spends time doing something you have no interest in doing. People dedicate their free time to an infinite assortment of odd things from making balls of string to collecting bugs to playing sports to following a sports team to reading internet message boards and the list could go on forever. In the long run, most of these people are probably doing this for a one time kick.
People are complaining that there is a family in line? WTF? That family will spend more time together than if they went on a cruse or a trip to the shore--and for the cost of food and two iPhones!
I say again, if they are having a good time and not hurting anyone then you are risking being a jerk to make fun of them.
I will be camping out that night in front of a telechoice store... but I live in Australia, and from what Optus have posted me by email it seems perfectly reasonable - they sold out their entire stock with just the holding deposits beforehand. So camp out I will... but not for a week - thats ridiculous
Apple and AT&T are stupid. They could have easily sold 3-5x more phone if activation at the store isn't a requirement. How hard is it to set it up so either you activate within 7 days or get hit with huge penalty?? come on....
That's completely ridiculous, the phones will eventually get sold. The people who don't want to wait now will probably willing to wait later. It's not like someone is going to say, "fuck it, it's going to take me 20 mins to get my phone, I'll just go over here and spend just as much time waiting to get a Blackberry."
The phones will get sold, but maybe not in a single, blowout weekend or something.
The baby thing is sick in this heat. I don't think the baby will be out there all week.
I have good contacts in New Zealand, Japan, Hong Kong and Australia who tell me that the phone will probably run out of stock there soon after launch. We'll see. New Zealand launches 12.01 am on July 11th, which is 19 hours ahead of the earliest time a California store will open, assuming CA stores will open just after midnight. Apparently SoftBank's CEO has predicted a launch day sell-out and Optus in Australia maxed out its unit allocation on pre-orders alone. Maybe there's more to this than just hype.
If CA stores open at 8am on July 11th, that's a full 27 hours after New Zealand! We'll have a pretty good idea how fast the hot cakes are selling in Asia. Tokyo and Hong Kong are only 3-4 hours behind New Zealand.
I think the really interesting iPhone 3G story will be Japan. SoftBank is more than just a cellphone company; it is Japan's largest internet operation. It controls Yahoo! Japan which is twice as large as Google with more than 60% share in Japan. Yahoo! Japan is also dominant in online auctions and online retail in a way that eBay and Amazon can't match. SoftBank also owns a large share in Alibaba, one of China's largest B2B internet companies.
Apple and SoftBank are extremely well-placed to leverage their relationships with each other. DoCoMo may be the largest player in the cellphone business but it lags SoftBank in the internet services that matter. SoftBank has sufficient infrastructure to be a viable competitor because it owns a high-speed ADSL network and fixed line services that complement its content offerings on Yahoo! Japan.
Apple needs SoftBank to bring the true power of the internet to mobile in Japan. Yes, there were Japanese mobile phones that had internet long before iPhone but the way they worked did not allow multi-channel development. Separate development teams were heavily needed for PC content and mobile content. SoftBank has established a reputation for great pricing but is placing iPhone as a premium product. Its CEO Masayoshi Son, cut his entrepreneurial teeth in the Bay Area and is truly a peer to Steve Jobs in pushing boundaries. It comes as absolutely no surprise that Apple cut the first deal with them. Son has been talking about exactly this kind of vision for more than a year.
Masayoshi Son will be crucial to iPhone's roll-out in China, particularly its business applications for SMEs and together Apple and SoftBank can develop a unique mobile content ecosystem in Japan and China. I'm more excited about iPhone 3Gs launch in Japan, Hong Kong and Australia than I am about any other launches.
I've explained my reasons for Japan. For Hong Kong, the first-generation iPhone was heavily adopted and is a well-loved, credible device. The subscription plans announced in Hong Kong for iPhone are some of the best in the world so I expect official adoption to increase steadily with real network carrier support. Finally, for Australia, the fact that all but one carrier will have iPhone 3G bodes well. The plans are a little expensive but consumer interest and enthusiasm is very, very high. That's always a good thing.
Apple can make its 10 million target for 2008 (basically sell 3.5 million more iPhones) without selling a many additional iPhones in the soft US economy if it opens strongly in these three important Asian markets. With SoftBank it has a winner in both brand appeal, content and corporate attitude.
Comments
Holy shit that's a terrible comparison.
After 5,800+ posts, would have hoped you'd figured out multi-quote by now.
Or maybe, that's how you reached 5,800 posts.
S
6:00 Evening News
Anchor:
Good Evening Ladies and Gentleman,
At the top of the news tonight we have yet another record day of casualties in Iraq, gas prices have now gone over the $5.00 mark across the nation and a small nuclear device has been detonated in Korea,
BUT first we are going to take you to Fifth Avenue in New York City where 14 people began a lonely 7 day vigil to be the first with the new Apple Iphone,
This is probably exactly what will happen every day over the next week. I suspect these people are there by their own initiative but if they were paid by Apple - say $1000.- per 24 hrs it would be the marketing bargain of a lifetime for anyone BUT Apple. For approx $100 000.- they get editorial coverage on just about every news channel in the land (and beyond, I am sure)! The fact that they most likely pay nought is truly amazing and must rile their competitors. The flip side is that these people in line give the impression that Apple users are, how shall I put it? super nerdy, a little desperate and quite insane (I mean, how great can a phone be?). But this is a minor blip in the marketing freebee Apple is getting. Besides, Americans are used to people lining up to go on TV shows to embarrass themselves and air all their dirty laundry in public. By comparison the people in line for an iPhone strike me as wholly reasonable.
The flip side is that these people in line give the impression that Apple users are, how shall I put it? super nerdy, a little desperate and quite insane (I mean, how great can a phone be?). But this is a minor blip in the marketing freebee Apple is getting. Besides, Americans are used to people lining up to go on TV shows to embarrass themselves and air all their dirty laundry in public. By comparison the people in line for an iPhone strike me as wholly reasonable.
This is exactly why I hope they are getting paid to do this rather than being out there on their own accord. This is really embarrassing. It is stuff like this that makes Americans look dumb for the most part. Please, oh please let Apple's money be somewhere involved.
Some pictures and stuff, apparently there is a man, woman and baby in line... absolutely ridiculous
http://www.geardiary.com/2008/07/04/...hone-3g-style/
Some pictures and stuff, apparently there is a man, woman and baby in line... absolutely ridiculous
A sidewalk of misguided people. Truly sad. Says quite a bit about the mental state of the US, but then again, if for a fleeting moment, something as simple helps to reliever the crapper that has become many peoples lives then so be it, but it is still sad to see.
Seems to me it could be one of three things.
6:00 Evening News
Anchor:
Good Evening Ladies and Gentleman,
At the top of the news tonight we have yet another record day of casualties in Iraq, gas prices have now gone over the $5.00 mark across the nation and a small nuclear device has been detonated in Korea,
BUT first we are going to take you to Fifth Avenue in New York City where 14 people began a lonely 7 day vigil to be the first with the new Apple Iphone,
over to you Henrietta, tell us what's going on over there......just how long is Apple predicting it will take people to get this new device? Is this a major concern for the company?
No doubt people are off their rocker now. I like Apple too but people PLEASE focus on non-materialistic issues. I'm not too proud of being human at the moment.
I don't get it either... it's not that different to the current one, hardware wise. The software changes can be installed on the current gen.
Well, forsome of us, there are great advantages, for example, I am lucky enough to live in a 3g saturated area...I have yet to find a carrier who doesnt have good 3g coverage here...(Indianapolis (inside the 465 loop...)) and the wifi based locations tracking SUCK DONKEY BALLS in Indiana (I on multiple occasions have seen the entire city circled when I click the where am i button.), whereas the GPS will be accurate...
Also, sold my phone for $250 so that leaves me enough to get the phone, with tax, and $24 in apps...so why not...
After 5,800+ posts, would have hoped you'd figured out multi-quote by now.
Or maybe, that's how you reached 5,800 posts.
maybe
Lovely people, but ultimately insanely materialistic.
You are missing the point! And your arrogant indignation is getting tiresome...
Camping out for an iPhone has as much to do with iPhone lust as spending a week in the mountains fishing has to do with loving to eat fish.
There are much easier and cheeper ways to get fish. But the thousands of people who spend their entire vacation fishing are not stupid--they enjoy the process.
I am quite certain that those people in line are there to enjoy the process. Sure, they want the iPhone--I am not claiming that there is no materialism involved at all--but they know there are easier ways to get one.
You may as well make fun of anybody who spends time doing something you have no interest in doing. People dedicate their free time to an infinite assortment of odd things from making balls of string to collecting bugs to playing sports to following a sports team to reading internet message boards and the list could go on forever. In the long run, most of these people are probably doing this for a one time kick.
People are complaining that there is a family in line? WTF? That family will spend more time together than if they went on a cruse or a trip to the shore--and for the cost of food and two iPhones!
I say again, if they are having a good time and not hurting anyone then you are risking being a jerk to make fun of them.
You are missing the point! And your arrogant indignation is getting tiresome...
Actually, we may all be missing the point....
http://www.WaitingForApples.com/
Are you willing to wait????
Apple and AT&T are stupid. They could have easily sold 3-5x more phone if activation at the store isn't a requirement. How hard is it to set it up so either you activate within 7 days or get hit with huge penalty?? come on....
That's completely ridiculous, the phones will eventually get sold. The people who don't want to wait now will probably willing to wait later. It's not like someone is going to say, "fuck it, it's going to take me 20 mins to get my phone, I'll just go over here and spend just as much time waiting to get a Blackberry."
The phones will get sold, but maybe not in a single, blowout weekend or something.
The point of these vane idiots is to get their 15-minutes of fame. They're in NY. They're aspiring actors and are looking for some exposure.
I have good contacts in New Zealand, Japan, Hong Kong and Australia who tell me that the phone will probably run out of stock there soon after launch. We'll see. New Zealand launches 12.01 am on July 11th, which is 19 hours ahead of the earliest time a California store will open, assuming CA stores will open just after midnight. Apparently SoftBank's CEO has predicted a launch day sell-out and Optus in Australia maxed out its unit allocation on pre-orders alone. Maybe there's more to this than just hype.
If CA stores open at 8am on July 11th, that's a full 27 hours after New Zealand! We'll have a pretty good idea how fast the hot cakes are selling in Asia. Tokyo and Hong Kong are only 3-4 hours behind New Zealand.
Can't wait!
I don't think the baby will be out there all week
Good point. That would just be criminal... not to mention virtually impossible.
Apple and SoftBank are extremely well-placed to leverage their relationships with each other. DoCoMo may be the largest player in the cellphone business but it lags SoftBank in the internet services that matter. SoftBank has sufficient infrastructure to be a viable competitor because it owns a high-speed ADSL network and fixed line services that complement its content offerings on Yahoo! Japan.
Apple needs SoftBank to bring the true power of the internet to mobile in Japan. Yes, there were Japanese mobile phones that had internet long before iPhone but the way they worked did not allow multi-channel development. Separate development teams were heavily needed for PC content and mobile content. SoftBank has established a reputation for great pricing but is placing iPhone as a premium product. Its CEO Masayoshi Son, cut his entrepreneurial teeth in the Bay Area and is truly a peer to Steve Jobs in pushing boundaries. It comes as absolutely no surprise that Apple cut the first deal with them. Son has been talking about exactly this kind of vision for more than a year.
Masayoshi Son will be crucial to iPhone's roll-out in China, particularly its business applications for SMEs and together Apple and SoftBank can develop a unique mobile content ecosystem in Japan and China. I'm more excited about iPhone 3Gs launch in Japan, Hong Kong and Australia than I am about any other launches.
I've explained my reasons for Japan. For Hong Kong, the first-generation iPhone was heavily adopted and is a well-loved, credible device. The subscription plans announced in Hong Kong for iPhone are some of the best in the world so I expect official adoption to increase steadily with real network carrier support. Finally, for Australia, the fact that all but one carrier will have iPhone 3G bodes well. The plans are a little expensive but consumer interest and enthusiasm is very, very high. That's always a good thing.
Apple can make its 10 million target for 2008 (basically sell 3.5 million more iPhones) without selling a many additional iPhones in the soft US economy if it opens strongly in these three important Asian markets. With SoftBank it has a winner in both brand appeal, content and corporate attitude.
(I love this guy)
Be creative Spam, you can diss the shit out of these lowlifes.
Trust me, if you can spend a week waiting in line for a phone you're not going to have anyone to call in the end. Kind of a contradiction in terms
Perhaps they're all independently wealthy?