I have been waiting for the iPhone for almost seven years, according to my calculations. I had a cell phone, my laptop, and a Palm, but I knew that someday Apple would put them all together in some incredibly beautiful package, but it was just a matter of when that would happen.
It’s been a long wait.
So when Apple finally announced the iPhone, there was not even a discussion of whether or not I would be getting one, it was more a discussion of which day do I need to leave open in my schedule to get my hands on this Mighty Tool.
If you’ve been keeping up, you’ll notice we’ve been on vacation. We came screeching into our driveway at 5pm, and after a quick feeding, Ellery and I jumped in the car and sped off to the Apple store. Chris and Renita had kept me posted on their progress on the line at the AT&T store, and it didn’t sound hopeful that there would be any left by the time I arrived. I figured that at least if I’m at the Apple store, I can feel like I’m part of the party, even if I don’t leave with an iPhone.
I got there at 6:05pm, and the line was no where near as bad as I thought…maybe 100 people, but I was cautioned that many people had already gone in and emerged with their phones. But in groups of ten, they kept letting people in. And kudos to those Apple folks—they really know how to throw a party. Every Apple store emplyee must have been there, and with each new ten people they let out a big cheer and applauded as people made their way to the back of the store to receive their phone. I know the pictures make it look a little more like you’re being checked in for a prison term, but I only had my small camera and I’m really short.
I know at this point those of you who are not total Macheads are thinking, “Um, it’s just a phone. And you remember, you’re paying them. A lot. Remember? No wonder they’re cheering.”
It’s tough to explain. There was just this energy from everyone that something really cool was happening that would change the way we operate our lives. And I know that sounds silly, and that it’s just one more piece of technology in my life, but I have to tell you that this one thing is going to eliminate about ten other things in my life. Plus, it’s just so BEAUTIFUL.
By far, the best part of the night is when I got to the counter to get my phone, and I asked if they had a limit of how many I could buy. I wanted one, and so did Tom. And Susie wanted one, but Doug was out of town, so she had to watch the kids. And Chris wanted one for Dan’s birthday. So that’s four. And the limit was two per person. So when I sighed that I would just have to get two, the salesman suddenly looked up and pointed at Ellery and said, “But she could get two as well, and then you’d have four!” I think he was kind of joking at first, but before I knew it, he had checked with his manager and she was sizing Ellery up and said, “Well, she looks like a person to me. Two per person!”
So I walked out with four iPhones. And a melting credit card.
Is it everything I thought it would be? I need a bolder bold to fully express my sentiment, but the answer is YES. It is amazing. It is beautiful. It is delicious in more ways than I can describe. I can give you the whole schpiel someday in person, because to discuss it without actually touching it is just not doing it justice. When I saw a review by the Wall Street Journal tech guy who was stumbling over words trying to give his review, I didn’t know what to think, but now I get it. You need to touch it to understand.
Email to come with my new phone number. Except for you Chamber of Commerce solicitors—keep using that old one.
