I'm estimating, according to my count, that there were about 3,000 people there for the opening. Now, I've read some news accounts that put the count at much less, but I was there and I did a rough count, doing a grouping of "tens" and counting how many "tens" I came across, as I walked down and through the crowd. My estimate is about 3,000 people waiting at the time of the grand opening, at 6 PM, on Friday night.
I didn't get in line, there, but took some pictures and saw when the doors opened up. There were cheers from the entire crowd, just like it was a football game and their team "just scored". It was a whoop and a yell and the Apple employees were almost like cheerleaders, leading the yells... LOL.
I decided to go back down the mall, sit it out for a while at Panera Bread and surf the net while getting a snack and see if I could wait out the crowd. They moved them through pretty fast and about an hour and a half later, I went back and I got in the door in just five minutes in line -- that's all. The store was crowded.
I got my Apple t-shirt, that said "Woodland Hills" and had the Apple logo on it -- in the typical "black" t-shirt "trademark" for Apple...
It was fun being there and I got my hands on an iPhone and made a few calls and tried out the other features. I had a couple of questions about getting assigned a particular area code, since I've got an address in Oregon, a billing address in Dallas, but am spending most of my time, these days, in Tulsa. So, I'm trying to find out how they assign area codes.
I'll be getting one in a week, after I check out a few things. I could have bought one last night, as they were ready to sell it to me and they had plenty in stock. Those iPhones were "walking out the door" -- as a lot of people were getting them -- "left and right" -- non-stop!....
It is certainly an "phenomenon" -- to be sure....
Regards, Star Traveler
Brand new Apple store opens in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at 6 PM on Friday night, June 29th, at Woodland Hills Mall (71st and Memorial), next to Macy’s...
Personally I think this entire cell phone thing has gotten totally out of hand. What’s next, a cellphone that lets you cook dinner remotely so it’s ready when you get home from work?
Ridiculous
The prices are dropping like a rock on ebay.
iT iSounds iLike iQuite iA iPhenomenon!
I own apple stock, but the one right now I’m really happy to own is Marvell (MRVL). Apple has been secretive about what external companies supplied what components to the Iphone and people had to wait to get one before taking off the cover and seeing what was inside.
Appears MRVL is supplying the wi-fi chip and possibly other chips in the phone. This stock was battered over the past year due to options backdating investigations, but resolution to these issues have been completed with the SEC the past month, and next month they will be releasing their updated financial statements to finish compliance requirements with the Nasdaq.
All that aside, I have been buying up large chunks of this stock at its lower prices recently on word that its chips would be in the Iphone. They make some of the best chips in the business. The stock jumped $1 on friday and analysts have now said this deal with Iphone could raise profits by 7% or higher for the year.
Anyway, the thing I’m getting about to in all this is, its not just Apple, but AT&T and those that are parts suppliers for the Iphone are going to completely clear house the next couple years with sales of this device.
Over 1 million Iphones have been pre-ordered by paying customers, and sales in the first year could be anywhere from 7 to 10 million.
AT&T will clear up on all those subs. 10 million phone users x average of $75 per month cellphone charge. (I saw three planes for Iphone for between 50 and 100 a month.)
And then the parts suppliers like Marvell.....
You want a great play on investing the next year and more. Get a list of all the parts suppliers to the Iphone, and invest in them. Boo-yahh!!!
I did not try to make a call, however the iPhone is everything they said it was going to be.
The touchscreen worked great, the apps were there, different web sites I went to rendered perfectly on the screen.
I am not going to buy the v1.0 iPhone, will wait until the first revision of the phone. For many people, it will replace both a laptop and their iPod, which means there is that much less stuff to carry around.
I still prefer rotary. :)
If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.
To all the naysayers...
“Rock and Roll is just a fad”
“Who would ever want a computer in their home”
“No one will ever need more than 640K of Ram”
“Horseless carriages will never be practical or affordable for the common man”
“If man was meant to fly, he’d have wings”
etc, etc, et F’ing ctera !!
I went to a Cingular/AT&T corporate store (the ones selling the iPhones), here in Tulsa and saw a sign on the door....
It said that they do not keep the iPhones “on location” overnight... LOL!!
That’s how popular the iPhone is, apparently, that they have to let people know that they don’t keep them on location. What do they do... send them to a Brink’s Armored Truck overnight?? :-)
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They were also offering free activation at that store, too (I suppose it’s all of them, but this one is on 41st, near I-44). So, that might beat Apple’s price, because I think you pay for activation on iTunes...