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Thursday, July 24th, 2008
Getting the iPhone
After 9pm on Tuesday evening, on Apple's website, the availability icon for the 16GB Black iPhone changed from red to green for the Charlotte Apple Store. Yesterday, after dropping Dylan off at day care I drove to Charlotte in search of the iPhone 3G. I planned to arrive at 9am when the mall opened.
I got there around 9:05am due to some traffic on the highway. I was appalled to find a line of around 100 people already in front of the Apple store and wrapped down a long hallway next to it. Honestly I almost turned around and went back home. But I was planning meet some ex-colleagues for lunch at 11:30am in Charlotte so driving 15 miles back home, then turning around just a couple hours later made no sense. I had my work phone for email, and my Macbook to keep me occupied so I decided to stick around and see what the chances were.
As many of you know I started a live blog from the Apple store to document my experience. I had no idea how it would go and honestly didn't have a lot of hope before I went considering the recent craze over the new iPhone 3G. They are basically impossible to get, especially the 16GB Black model, which is what I wanted.
Niki and a few other people thought (probably still do) I was crazy for getting anywhere near an Apple store until the excitement over the new iPhone had subsided. I'm not much for waiting in lines so I was a bit apprehensive myself but you only live once and bleeding-edge technology is something I have always enjoyed.
Around 9:30am an Apple employee came out of the store and announced that the 16GB iPhone had sold out in both colors. I didn't even realized that Apple had changed their hours to accommodate the iPhone sales but they had been open since 9am. After the announcement a good portion of people in the line walked away and I moved up about 20 feet.
The announcement was both disheartening and promising in different ways. The 16GB iPhone I set out to purchase were not available, but the possibility of getting an iPhone at all was more exciting at that moment. For the next 45 minutes I did some real soul searching to rationalize my needs. I am somewhat of an audiophile and my current 60GB iPod is 2/3 full of music and a handful of videos. I really had to think long and hard before deciding that I could be smarter about what music lives on my iPod and what I don't need to have with me at all times. And I was convinced that I could squeeze it all on 16GB's. But 8GB? Yikes!
With the help of several encouraging people leaving comments on the live blog and the idea of possibly setting up my own mp3 server to stream music over the 3G network I was convinced that I could live with an 8GB iPhone. Plus I'd be saving $200. So I stayed in line.
As I waited in line a UPS delivery man came down the corridor with a huge cart of boxes. Everyone in line speculated that it was more iPhone's even though the boxes were all labeled "Bob Ellis Shoes". Even more suspicious was that the only store with a back entrance at the end of that hallway was the Apple store. For those of you that aren't aware, Apple is very secretive about their shipping methods and not even the store employees know what is coming and when it will arrive.
The line moved every few minutes for a bit until I was on 5 feet away from the end of the hallway next to the Apple Store. There was no guarantee yet that I would actually get an iPhone, but things were looking good. Soon after, they came out to announce that they were pre-approving everyone in line to speed the process once inside the Apple store, still this was no guarantee.
At this point the line really start creeping. I stopped blogging in anticipation of the front of the line. I start talking to a couple guys in front of me, which were both from Winston-Salem. Both had gotten up at 6am and driven to Charlotte to get in line. This made me feel very normal and a lot less crazy than everyone said I was (not like I really cared anyway). An Apple representative came around the corner asking everyone in line what they were planning to purchase and she was giving out some sort of blue ticket. When she got to me I said "Two 8GB iPhones" and she gave me two tickets with an "8" written on the back of each. She said this did guarantee me 2 iPhones. Score!
The entire line of people was uplifted at the mere assurance of getting an iPhone. People became very chatty and everyone was smiling and giddy. Everyone wanted to hug the Apple chick. I tried but she said it was against company policy to show affection to customers who just wanted their goods. I said I understood but they should consider changing their policy.
Just when we thought it couldn't get any better, a rumor started just ahead of us in line that someone had just left the store with a 16GB phone. OMG! I asked several Apple employees about the rumor and they all denied that such happened. Myself and several others in line continued to contest the rumor and eventually we got one of them to crack. She said she "wasn't sure" which is much different than the standard "NO!" we had been getting. We knew we were onto something. She said she would be right back. We patiently waited, trying not to get our hopes up too much. But it was almost impossible. We reenacted the conversation with the Apple employee/squealer and felt good about the chances of a bigger and better iPhone.
She eventually returned with another Apple employee who had another stack of blue tickets. They went down the line (at this point I think I was 5th in line) and asked if anyone wanted to upgrade, they just got in a shipment of 16GB iPhone's, available in both colors. WOOT! Bob Ellis and his shoes totally came through.
I gladly exchanged my two "8" tickets for a pair of shiny new "16B" tickets. I kind of lost track of the activity going on in the line behind us at this point but I do remember the line extending back to where I had started 2 hours before. And the guy handing out the upgrades had a nice stack of 16GB tickets, so hopefully a lot of people got what they wanted.
I patiently waited and finally was invited inside the store to meet my Apple Specialist, Jim. He was super nice and informative about the entire process. I really didn't know what to expect because I have read mixed reviews on the activation process. Jim dropped me off at a computer in the store and said he'd be right back. He took my blue tickets and went to the back of the store and quickly returned two unopened 16GB Black iPhone's.
He asked me a few questions about my current phone situation and some quick background info for a credit check. I passed like a rock star he said (which I think means I had at least $1 in my bank account). He then proceeded to input my Verizon Wireless account info into one of their handy little handheld checkout devices. About 10 minutes later both mine and Niki's number had been ported and our new AT&T Family Plan had been established.
Then it was time to pay for the iPhone's. Normally they can run your card right on the checkout device but the strip on the back of my card is so worn that we had to go back to the main register to do it. This took about 15 minutes, but most people wouldn't have to go through that. After that we headed back over to a computer and plugged the iPhone's in. iTunes immediately recognized both and the activation process took about a minute for each. At that point both iPhone's were working with our old numbers and ready to go. The entire process took about 30 minutes but only because of the delays with my credit card.
I never made it to lunch with the guys I used to work with but I know they understand. There are some things in life you can't control and right now that is whether or not you are going to be able to score an iPhone. I got lucky, twice.
I realize this blog has gotten somewhat lengthy, so I will save my initial thoughts and "wow" feelings on the iPhone 3G for another blog. I am still learning my way around the phone and learning to type on it but its getting easier by the minute. I couldn't be happier and I can't imagine ever getting another type of phone for quite sometime. The iPhone really does make every other phone on the market look like a toy and feel like a bag phone. If you haven't considered getting an iPhone you really should, it will change your life.
Getting the iPhone
After 9pm on Tuesday evening, on Apple's website, the availability icon for the 16GB Black iPhone changed from red to green for the Charlotte Apple Store. Yesterday, after dropping Dylan off at day care I drove to Charlotte in search of the iPhone 3G. I planned to arrive at 9am when the mall opened.
I got there around 9:05am due to some traffic on the highway. I was appalled to find a line of around 100 people already in front of the Apple store and wrapped down a long hallway next to it. Honestly I almost turned around and went back home. But I was planning meet some ex-colleagues for lunch at 11:30am in Charlotte so driving 15 miles back home, then turning around just a couple hours later made no sense. I had my work phone for email, and my Macbook to keep me occupied so I decided to stick around and see what the chances were.
As many of you know I started a live blog from the Apple store to document my experience. I had no idea how it would go and honestly didn't have a lot of hope before I went considering the recent craze over the new iPhone 3G. They are basically impossible to get, especially the 16GB Black model, which is what I wanted.
Niki and a few other people thought (probably still do) I was crazy for getting anywhere near an Apple store until the excitement over the new iPhone had subsided. I'm not much for waiting in lines so I was a bit apprehensive myself but you only live once and bleeding-edge technology is something I have always enjoyed.
Around 9:30am an Apple employee came out of the store and announced that the 16GB iPhone had sold out in both colors. I didn't even realized that Apple had changed their hours to accommodate the iPhone sales but they had been open since 9am. After the announcement a good portion of people in the line walked away and I moved up about 20 feet.
The announcement was both disheartening and promising in different ways. The 16GB iPhone I set out to purchase were not available, but the possibility of getting an iPhone at all was more exciting at that moment. For the next 45 minutes I did some real soul searching to rationalize my needs. I am somewhat of an audiophile and my current 60GB iPod is 2/3 full of music and a handful of videos. I really had to think long and hard before deciding that I could be smarter about what music lives on my iPod and what I don't need to have with me at all times. And I was convinced that I could squeeze it all on 16GB's. But 8GB? Yikes!
With the help of several encouraging people leaving comments on the live blog and the idea of possibly setting up my own mp3 server to stream music over the 3G network I was convinced that I could live with an 8GB iPhone. Plus I'd be saving $200. So I stayed in line.
As I waited in line a UPS delivery man came down the corridor with a huge cart of boxes. Everyone in line speculated that it was more iPhone's even though the boxes were all labeled "Bob Ellis Shoes". Even more suspicious was that the only store with a back entrance at the end of that hallway was the Apple store. For those of you that aren't aware, Apple is very secretive about their shipping methods and not even the store employees know what is coming and when it will arrive.
The line moved every few minutes for a bit until I was on 5 feet away from the end of the hallway next to the Apple Store. There was no guarantee yet that I would actually get an iPhone, but things were looking good. Soon after, they came out to announce that they were pre-approving everyone in line to speed the process once inside the Apple store, still this was no guarantee.
At this point the line really start creeping. I stopped blogging in anticipation of the front of the line. I start talking to a couple guys in front of me, which were both from Winston-Salem. Both had gotten up at 6am and driven to Charlotte to get in line. This made me feel very normal and a lot less crazy than everyone said I was (not like I really cared anyway). An Apple representative came around the corner asking everyone in line what they were planning to purchase and she was giving out some sort of blue ticket. When she got to me I said "Two 8GB iPhones" and she gave me two tickets with an "8" written on the back of each. She said this did guarantee me 2 iPhones. Score!
The entire line of people was uplifted at the mere assurance of getting an iPhone. People became very chatty and everyone was smiling and giddy. Everyone wanted to hug the Apple chick. I tried but she said it was against company policy to show affection to customers who just wanted their goods. I said I understood but they should consider changing their policy.
Just when we thought it couldn't get any better, a rumor started just ahead of us in line that someone had just left the store with a 16GB phone. OMG! I asked several Apple employees about the rumor and they all denied that such happened. Myself and several others in line continued to contest the rumor and eventually we got one of them to crack. She said she "wasn't sure" which is much different than the standard "NO!" we had been getting. We knew we were onto something. She said she would be right back. We patiently waited, trying not to get our hopes up too much. But it was almost impossible. We reenacted the conversation with the Apple employee/squealer and felt good about the chances of a bigger and better iPhone.
She eventually returned with another Apple employee who had another stack of blue tickets. They went down the line (at this point I think I was 5th in line) and asked if anyone wanted to upgrade, they just got in a shipment of 16GB iPhone's, available in both colors. WOOT! Bob Ellis and his shoes totally came through.
I gladly exchanged my two "8" tickets for a pair of shiny new "16B" tickets. I kind of lost track of the activity going on in the line behind us at this point but I do remember the line extending back to where I had started 2 hours before. And the guy handing out the upgrades had a nice stack of 16GB tickets, so hopefully a lot of people got what they wanted.
I patiently waited and finally was invited inside the store to meet my Apple Specialist, Jim. He was super nice and informative about the entire process. I really didn't know what to expect because I have read mixed reviews on the activation process. Jim dropped me off at a computer in the store and said he'd be right back. He took my blue tickets and went to the back of the store and quickly returned two unopened 16GB Black iPhone's.
He asked me a few questions about my current phone situation and some quick background info for a credit check. I passed like a rock star he said (which I think means I had at least $1 in my bank account). He then proceeded to input my Verizon Wireless account info into one of their handy little handheld checkout devices. About 10 minutes later both mine and Niki's number had been ported and our new AT&T Family Plan had been established.
Then it was time to pay for the iPhone's. Normally they can run your card right on the checkout device but the strip on the back of my card is so worn that we had to go back to the main register to do it. This took about 15 minutes, but most people wouldn't have to go through that. After that we headed back over to a computer and plugged the iPhone's in. iTunes immediately recognized both and the activation process took about a minute for each. At that point both iPhone's were working with our old numbers and ready to go. The entire process took about 30 minutes but only because of the delays with my credit card.
I never made it to lunch with the guys I used to work with but I know they understand. There are some things in life you can't control and right now that is whether or not you are going to be able to score an iPhone. I got lucky, twice.
I realize this blog has gotten somewhat lengthy, so I will save my initial thoughts and "wow" feelings on the iPhone 3G for another blog. I am still learning my way around the phone and learning to type on it but its getting easier by the minute. I couldn't be happier and I can't imagine ever getting another type of phone for quite sometime. The iPhone really does make every other phone on the market look like a toy and feel like a bag phone. If you haven't considered getting an iPhone you really should, it will change your life.
Thanks, Mrs. Shoo
1) Is there some sort of Sim card on the iPhone in order to import your phone book from your old phone to your new phone?
2) What is the current range in prices of the family plan for the phones? (We would also be activating 2)
We are probably switching to iPhones when our current contract expires with TMobile in November.
@Mrs. Shoo...You're right, Shoo does not need an iPhone. It wouldn't be good for him I can tell. He already spends way too much time on the computer and a a direct connection from his brain to the Internet at all times would be a bad thing for sure.
@Shoo... Sorry, but your wife is right this time. I'd try to maybe get a new bike or something. Throwing out words like "exercise", "health" and "hot bod" should do the trick.
@Jenn... Here is what I know so far about your questions... but I am still learning.
1) There is a SIM card on the iPhone, however it uses one of several methods to sync/update the address book. If you have a Mac you can use the Address Book application. I think it works for Outlook too on the PC (haven't verified it yet though). Other options are to sync from your Gmail or Yahoo account.
Niki and I are coming from Motorola RAZR phones so I don't think there is an option to export/import our contacts. I just finished manually entering mine into Address Book this morning and it wasn't that bad. I thought about going the GMail route but GMail's contact manager can be a mess sometimes and Apple's method was super simple. Now that I have them all entered it will keep an updated copy of my address book on both my computer and my iPhone each time I sync. Same goes for the Calendar but I am not to that point yet.
2) The Family plans start at $129 per month for two phones and that includes 700 minutes and unlimited data. That is for the 3G network which is standard from here on out. It does not include txt messaging, which is an additional $5 per phone/per month. So you are looking at around $139 plus taxes and fondling fees per month once its all over if you go that route. Here is the breakdown on AT&T's web site. http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone-service/cell-pho...
This is morn than our previous plan with Verizon but we have found a way to justify it (don't you always?). First of all with Verizon we don't pay for a data plan, that is $30 more with AT&T and required with the purchase of an iPhone. We also have a home line that rarely gets used but we like having so we are going to look into VoIP has a cheaper alternative which will make up for the difference in the new cell phone plan.
@Niki... Did we have lunch yesterday? I barely remember. I do vaguely remember sitting across from someone at a table somewhere, I think it was in a restaurant and they served pizza or something. Was that you? Sorry I was on my new iPhone, how rude! I should have at least taken a picture of you.
So seriously, I have not forgotten about you and our unforgettable lunch yesterday. I plan to include that experience in the upcoming "Making Love to My iPhone (part 1)" blog. Stay tuned.
I forgot to address your activation question. Its $36 for the first phone and $26 for additional phones. Dude I could so work for AT&T!