Ok it's Friday so let's lighten things up a little and have some fun. What do you pack in your kit to survive 4 nights camped out on the sidewalk in front of an Apple store waiting to get a chance to buy an iPhone?


Let me clarify....I am NOT standing in line for one of these. I have no desire to drop $600 on a phone of any kind. I am just amazed at the stories I have read and seen on the news of people actually doing this.

I know we have seen it before with movie releases and playstations but it never ceases to amaze me.

Your going to wait in line for the 1998 touch screen technology too? I had a PDA around that time which ran Windows CE 2.0 (before it was called pocket pc, windows mobile, whatever its called this week). It was controlled entirley by a touchscreen (or stylus) and could play music, dow pictures, e-mail, contacts, web browse, etc. Its screen was about 3" so in 8 years Apple manager to innovate about 1/2" of screen.

A sign stating "I bought Apple Stock at $12.00 and now I'm rich!" and then just survive on the food and drinks people throw at me.

How's Microlimp...er, Microsoft stock doing nowdays?

Apple lover for life,
-Blast

I agree with you, I don't understand the hype at all about this thing. This whole idea of what to pack with you for the 4 day campout came from me seeing pictures of these people camped on sidewalks all over the country. Some of the pictures of people I've seen in the news look like they have moved their entire bedrooms onto the street.

Please tell me you're kidding, Gator. Camping out 4 nights just to pay $500 on the newest trendy phone? For all that effort and brand loyalty, they should be paying YOU.

I pray for Apple users. No matter how great they are as people otherwise, when it comes to their computers they hit me with rank snobbery every single time. Makes no sense to me. I use PCs exclusively just because they were bequeathed to me by others, but I get ragged on all the time by other designers because I don't use a Mac. It's just a computer, people! It's just a brand! It shouldn't define you as a person (or as an artist)!

As for your kit, Gator, bring some kind of defensive object with you. A long line of people each with $500 burning a hole in their pockets would be tempting mugging target, indeed. Remember the shameful events that occured when the PS3 and XBox came out?

No No No, not me! I edited my original post to clarify.

I have no intention to drop $600 on a phone and definitely would not wait 4 days on the street for it.

I'm a designer and I love my Mac, but I've got nothing against designers who use PCs. Use whatever you have access to, I say.

As for the iphone, it's neat, I don't need one, and most likely won't get one unless the price drops dramatically, which it won't. Apple always has its preset price points and they rarely drop prices, but rather fill the spot with beefier equipment.

On to my Kit for standing in line for the iphone...
Earplugs so I don't have to listen to the geek in line behind me prattle on about his latest set-up.
Deadfall with Twinkie bait so that I can take to place of the chump in front of me when he goes for the tastey morsels and winds up with his head stuck in my masterful trap.
Lysol because it's bound to get smelly with lots of people standing in line for days that close to one another.
Something to attract those hot little Apple groupies.

There has to be more... I'll keep thinking about it.

C'mon, Nichodemus, we both know there is no such thing as "hot little Apple groupies."


And I'm sorry, Gator, the clarification came up while I was already composing my little rant, so I didn't see it until after I posted. Thank goodness you were only joking!

I'd tell them to wait 6 months until Apple puts a 3.2 Megapixel camera in the phone. Oh and theres no inbuilt GPS chip built in for navigation either. No VOIP and no proper keyboard and no FM stereo radio and limited applications due to no open source OS. No 3G connectivity either for fast data transfer. Wait a minute, well why not get a Nokia E90 instead. No waiting in a queue for 4 days for such an outdated phone either

I'd turn it into a little business, like those guys who started the iWait service by offering to stand in line for people. I think, aside from a chair, small table, and sunshade, I'd have (for sale)

In the evening: a variety of airplane sized bottles of liqor + assorted mixers + paper cups

Energy drinks

Tea + hot water

A massage chair with a hired massouse (I'll take $5 off the top)

A bunch of $1 keychain lights I'd sell for $2 a piece.

Sorry, couldn't resist. Hey, you could probably sell a lot of stuff to bored, tired people with money to burn.

Are you kidding????

Like a computer nerd would know what to do with a girl anyway! Visions of "Weird Science" keep popping into my head.

As for what I'd bring:
Food, water, sunscreen. And, the night before it opened, bust out a computer with a Lara Croft/Tombraider game. Probably distract all the geeks and get their spots in line!

This is classic. Granted it is still not official but you know it's coming soon. Apparently the European press is expecting the announcement of an upgraded 3G iPhone on Monday.

How mad are people going to be after standing in line for days, dropping $600 for the iPhone to hear an announcement Monday about an upgraded version available in a few months? Can the folks at Apple really be that dense?

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/29/3g-iphone-for-europe-to-be-announced-monday/

After reading the comments given up to now, IMHO, LED is right on the money.

Keep in mind-we're discussing people who have more dollars than sense, uh, I mean, cents!! They are also people with too much time on their hands.

1st-I'd bring the camping equipment and other gear that I would use to go camping in the mountains for 4 days and I would set up my van for camping w/a generator and string of lights, a coleman 2 burner camping stove, a large pot, and a large portable table.

2nd-I'd get a "special events" business license that allows for the sale of beer and wine.

3rd-I'd stock up w/beer, wine, cokes, sprites, dr. peppers, mountain dews, bottled water, little debbie snacks, chips, keychain lights, collapsable canvas chairs, decks of playing cards, paper plates of jambalaya for sale.

That would double the investment pretty quick and you'd be laughing the whole time selling everything at twice what you paid for it.

Something else, I'd rent a porta-potty and make it available at no charge, but I would also have toilet paper rolls for sale!

A little OT, but last Saturday I waited in line from 7 am to 1pm for free tickets to SHAKESPEARE in the Park. My GF & I drove in from jersey; we packed a cooler with drinks, cold cuts, cheese, tomatoes, mayo & bread. We also had folding camp chairs, she had a magazine & a mp3 player & I had a book & my Playstaion Portable filled with music and 2 movies. I also had my EDC bag. In it I always carry a FAK, a couple of ponchos, a flashlight, a fire making kit, Deep woods off towelettes and handi-wipes...amongst other things. I had a folding knife(Emerson) with me as always. I think that I was pretty well prepared for what ever the day might've brought. It was a fun day, we ate, read, listened to music (ours & the flute player that was entertaining the line)& surfed the web on my playstaion(free wifi in the park).The ticket window opened at 1pm got our tickets for the show which starts @ 8pm, then took our stuff to the car. While we waited for the show, we went to the Museum of Natural History & after that went to Union Square for the farmers market. I feel that it was well worth the long wait in line. It was a wonderful show & a wonderful day with my GF. The gist of this post is, that somethings a worth the wait. Others like that stupid iPhone, are not.

I agree with your priorities. A good play would be worth waiting in line for.

Doesn't that sink bait and switch, or "loss leader" to a new low?

Apple upgrades something just about every 6 months to coincide with one of the MacWorld shows, so I wouldn't doubt the next upgraded version of the iphone will be out by January. It'll be the same price as the previous version of the phone. It's Apple's MO.

For the enthusiasts that follow the way the Apple works, they know that if they just wait a few months something beefier at the same price point will be out. Some people wait, but the "gotta-have-it-now-no-matter-the-cost" crowd jumps in. Of course since most know the next biggest thing will be out a half a year later, no matter what, they figure you have to jump in at some point.

Oh but there are... A couple of them string me along for their Apple Care needs as rare as such things are... I'm such a sucker.

Also, see Nighthiker's link.

On a funny side note related to the above, a friend once called me over because "some of the keys on her keyboard were broken". I tried to type something quickly and found that a number of the keys didn't have their normal spring and even felt a little crunchy. Being the genius I am, I turned the keyboard over, shook it, and what seemed like a half a box of tiny goldfish shards and crumbs fell out. I think she was bored or perhaps had a concussion because she's so much smarter than me it's rediculous and there's no way she couldn't have figured that one out.

Book. Small radio with ear buds. One legged stool. Umbrella. Load my ALICE pack with water and food.

An alms tin with a sign reading "need help, shrink wants cash" to put next to it.


All their secrecy has me a little nervous. I've seen roll outs that were this hush-hush, and I can't think of a single one that was a military aircraft that wasn't a total flop. And some of those were less then advertised.

Oh, come ON, people! If WE had all been able to go to Boom Camps like today's kids, we could clear out one of those lines right to the front in nothing flat!

Otherwise, just forget the gadget and roll your pushcart up and down the lines with slices of hot pizza and hot dogs (condiments extra) and cold drinks, all at movie house prices.

Sue

Never listen to the Public Relations press releases or the manufacturer's advertisements. The key to whether a system works well or not is told by looking at the number of copies that have been fielded.

The USCG raved all about the SES's but they only procured 3 copies. 49 copis of the 110 ft (5 year lifespan) Patrol Boats were procured in the late 80's thru early 90's and are still online except those that were recently stretched to 123 ft and those have now been decommissioned (Deepwater Project Scandal).

That's my opinion & I'm sticking to it.

Yeah, I've heard about those. I'd like to see someone charged.

I think if I were going to drop $500+ on any kind of phone, it would be a satellite phone. If you're going to get an expensive phone, why not get one with some serious coverage...

Patrick

the "let's cut a boat in half and weld on an extra 13 feet" fiasco is really streching us thin on patrol boat hours when it took 5 pb's away from us.

at least we still have the 87's coming off the line...

Hey, it worked for C-141's and 130's. Of course the USAF had a lot more to play with...

I figured this video apropos of the current topic, so I'm passing it along.

Super-Duper-On-Topic-Video-Of-The-Day

I never knew it cost $600! For that price it better come with a blade, pocket saw, can opener and phillips screwdriver.

Seems like a foolish waste of money just to have the latest status symbol. Probably will see a number of my students wave these around in August. It would take people with too much disposable income to buy a gadget when there are other options for much cheaper prices. (Wait, that's what my wife said about my latest Leatherman multi-tool purchase )

Seriously, what does one get for the money? My wife and I got a first (and only) cell-phone during Christmas 2004 and it was intended for just emergency purposes.