iPhone 3G S not as hot as past iPhones
People wait in an iPhone 3G S line in Tokyo.
It seems more people are interested in reading about the iPhone 3GS lines than they are in standing in them. Though people camped outside the flagship Apple store in New York, the lines this year just don’t seem impressive to anyone after the iPhone launch craze in 2007 or last summer’s pandemonium when Apple launched the iPhone 3G.
Tech writers across the country have some pretty different reactions to the iPhone 3G S lines. I am just wondering whether anyone took out a quick payday loan to pay for it.
A line is a line
Some publications, such as the New York Times, recognize that if anyone at all camps out for a product or stands outside the store in line before it’s open on launch day, it’s a pretty big deal. PC World seems to agree, but both also had to recognize that the iPhone 3G S lines are substantially diminished compared to previous launches. From the New York Times:
Despite competition from the gloomy weather and a nearby Jonas Brothers performance, more than 400 Apple aficionados were waiting outside the company’s New York flagship store on Fifth Avenue at 7 a.m., when the iPhone 3G S officially went on sale.
…
According to reports of the lines in New York, Florida and Paris, the lines and waiting times seemed more manageable than they were for the original iPhone unveil in 2007 or last year’s rollout of the 3G model.
From PC World:
For the third consecutive summer, Apple released a new phone, and for the third consecutive summer, crowds flocked to buy it–though perhaps not in as large a number as they had in the past.
Smaller lines not a surprise
PC World and the New York Times also agree that the smaller crowds and smaller iPhone 3G S lines make sense. This upgrade isn’t as big as the last one. Of course, it can’t be argued that an iPhone upgrade pales in comparison to the launch of the original product in 2007. Still, workers at the New York Apple store were pleased with the turnout.
“We were worried because it was pouring last night, but this morning we were completely blown away by the energy and excitement,” said Greg Joswiak, vice president of iPod and iPhone product marketing for Apple.
Small fuss should be no fuss
Popular tech review site Gizmodo makes it thoughts on the iPhone 3G S lines clear in the headline of its piece today: “Why in hell are people camping out for the iPhone 3G S?” Gizmodo writer Jesus Diaz obviously doesn’t think the iPhone 3G S is a big deal, and he makes it clear by writing only a couple of sentences about the event. The content of those sentences makes it all the more clear, just in case there were any doubt in readers’ minds on Diaz’s thoughts:
Why are these people waiting in line for the iPhone 3GS? It’s the same iPhone but faster, there will be plenty available in stores everywhere, and you won’t be any cooler for having it now because nobody will notice.
I don’t know who started this thing about having to have the new gadget before anyone else, because it’s the dumbest thing in the world. Everyone is going to have it eventually, so why bother? You’re cool for five minutes, and then everyone goes right back to not caring, and the end result is that you wasted time standing in line when you could have done something you enjoyed, the bugs aren’t going to be worked out yet, and you also have the added benefit of paying more than you would a year from the release date, making the kind of person who stands in line for that sort of thing a tool.