Austin360 blogs > Digital Savant > Archives > 2010 > June > 24 > Entry
iPhone 4: I did not buy
Shoppers this morning at the Apple Store at The Domain. Photo by Jay Janner / AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Yesterday, I was still agonizing over whether I would drop $500 ($299 + a $200 non-upgrade-eligible fee) for a 32 GB black iPhone 4 I had previously reserved.
By the time I went to bed last night I was able to sleep soundly because I’d made a decision: I was not going to buy the phone. I had a conversation with my wife about it and we both agreed that I could wait until my eligibility rolled around in February to own one and I could certainly wait until Monday to play with a demo unit from Apple.
So what did I do instead? I gave my reservation to a person I’ve come to respect quite a bit, Julie Gomoll, who wanted the phone much more than I did.
By the time I went to Barton Creek Mall to meet her, I’d already been hearing reports that lines at the Domain were taking three hours, even if you had a reservation, and that every tenth walk-up customer was being let in line with the reservation customers.
I also was hearing from good sources that if the lines continue like this tonight at Apple Stores (I think they will), those who line up and don’t get their phone by 10 p.m. will receive a rain check to come back and fulfill their reservation by Saturday.
As of this writing, Barton Creek Mall’s upper level is half-filled with people in line for iPhone 4s. They’re lined along the railings, sitting on the floor with iPads, separated only for escalator entrances and walkways. It’s ridiculous. It’s insane. One reader e-mailed me to tell me he counted 1,000 people this morning at Barton Creek’s line. By 9:30 a.m., he said, there were still 735 by his count.
At around 1:30 p.m., I stood in line with Julie. I waited about a half hour until an Apple employee, who was double-checking reservations to make sure people were in the right line, assured us that I could give her my reservation e-mail and didn’t need to stick around for the transaction. Julie had already been waiting an hour and a half and was still standing in front of Nordstrom, about 100 people from the front of the line, at least.
I was given a bag of Chick-Fil-A nuggets and chips (score!) and walked past a big table of condiments, I ran into William Hurley, who said he’d been there since 5 a.m. as part of an effort to secure more iPhone 4 devices for his staffers at Chaotic Moon Studios. He was at the front of the line about to go in the store.
Unencumbered by the need to stand in line for a phone I won’t get today, I walked in and played with one of the two dozen or so iPhone 4s on display. Yes, the screen is beautiful and text looks clearer. It does feel snappy and fast, with Web pages loading more quickly. (Though not as speedily as its larger cousin the iPad.)
The camera’s flash is very bright and it seems to take nice photos very quickly. (Although with my 3GS I’ve noticed the iOS 4.0 update has also made my built-in photo app more responsive and pretty much instantaneous.)
And then there’s that bold, flat design. It’s very nice and feels solid, but I didn’t have time to make a phone call and see if the alarming reports of reception interference around the phone are as bad as they sound. I didn’t see any yellow spots on any screens, but of course that’s what you’d expect for in-store demo phones.
I’m glad I went and got the vibe of the line. (The Wall Street Journal, reporting from Barton Creek Mall, got a peek, too.)
I find it a little alarming and kind of amazing that even as we become more and more jaded with new technology and the iPhone becomes more common, that the lines get longer and longer, more frenzied, as new versions roll out. It must be the perfect storm of a significant software update, a design overhaul and the timing of millions of iPhone 3G owners who are ready for a new phone.
I don’t think the lines are going to die down until July, at least, and even that is spoken with optimism. If supply doesn’t keep up, it might be August or September before you can walk into an Apple or AT&T store with confidence that you’ll get an iPhone 4.
Have you gotten one? What are your thoughts so far? Please post them in the comments.
Permalink | Comments (11) | Post your comment Categories: Austin, Gadgets, Phones, Shopping
Comments
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By maczter
June 25, 2010 3:44 PM | Link to this
FedEx dropped mine off yesterday. Aside from one excitement-induced RTFM-related user error during activation, I haven't had any issues with mine.
While I can reproduce the bottom corner issue, it's not an actual issue for me since I apparently don't hold my phone "wrong." That, and my iPhones always wear protection.
The display is almost surreal, hyper-real, whatever you want to call it. The Gun Range game that uses the Gyroscope for aiming shows some cool potential. I'm guessing it won't be long before someone makes some kind of rig that fixes the phone at a fixed location/distance in front of your eyes and has external control inputs for a portable VR game rig using the gyroscope's input.
Thickness and weight aren't noticeably different from the 3GS, but the feel is much nicer with the new materials and edge profile. Speed is a little snappier than the 3GS so far. WiFi is definitely faster if you're on an N-capable WiFi connection.
Had a FaceTime (video) call with a friend and got to see his 18 month-old daughter giggling and laughing at me being silly as she watched me on her dad's iPhone 4 on the other end.
No complaints. No regrets.
By Earl Cooley III
June 25, 2010 3:31 PM | Link to this
Sounds like it was a good choice to wait (at least until the antenna problem is resolved).
By Robert Quigley
June 25, 2010 9:02 AM | Link to this
I pre-ordered my iPhone during my lunch break on June 15 at the Best Buy South Austin location, and I was the 17th person to do so at that location. Wednesday afternoon, I got a call from Best Buy - they set me up for a 7:30 a.m. appointment on Thursday to pick up the phone.
I rolled into Best Buy at 7:15 a.m. There were a few people milling around the parking lot, but there was no line. An employee popped his head out, and I asked him if I could get in before my appointment, and he said, "Come on in." The store was a few hours from opening, but they were selling phones to those who preordered and had appointments. Within 15 minutes, I had my phone in hand, and I had bought a gel case for the phone as well, just like the one I had used on my old iPhone. I bought it because it gives a better grip on the phone, and might save it if I drop it. I later read about the reception problems, but I can't get it to reproduce on my phone (even with the gel cover off). AT&T's service still isn't great, but I don't notice it going down when I touch the phone's outer edges, even on the left side, etc.
I've used the phone for a day now and love it. I stepped up from the original iphone 2g, so this is a much-bigger leap for me than most upgraders. The battery life is truly amazing. I played with it off-and-on all day yesterday, let my kids watch "Up" on it, and play a ton of graphic-heavy games. I surfed the Web nonstop. It didn't see a charge until 10 p.m.
The screen is beautiful, and I don't see any color irregularities. I downloaded iMovie (for $5) and shot a series of short video clips and edited them together on my phone. I ended up with a 30-second high-definition movie, complete with themes and background music, I uploaded it easily to YouTube and shared it with my family. It took me minutes to do it, and it looks surprisingly great.
I wish you got one, Omar, so I could test out FaceTime ;)
Moral to this story: Best Buy preordering was a good way to go.
Robert Quigley
Social media editor
Statesman
By Julie Gomoll
June 25, 2010 7:40 AM | Link to this
I was not expecting a 4.5 hour wait, that's for sure. I'm not really sure why it took so long. Once I was in the store it took only 5 minutes to get the phone.
Are my feet sore? Yes. Was it worth it? Yes. I can't explain my desire to get my hands on gadgets when they first come out, but it's powerful, and it's been part of my MO ever since the first Macs came out. I indulged in Macs, phones, Palms, Newtons... you name it. I don't regret it a bit - I love this stuff!
Oh, in my excitement to get to the front of the line, I left my iPad behind. A kind, empathetic Apple fan turned it in and it's waiting for me at the Apple store :)
Omar - Thank you, thank you, thank you!
By Love my new iPhone
June 24, 2010 11:58 PM | Link to this
John Gillnitz is on crack or something. I got mine this afternoon and held it every way I could think of and never noticed a difference in signal strength. It was the same in my hand and sitting on my desk.
By Travis
June 24, 2010 9:48 PM | Link to this
I stood in line at the Domain Apple Store from 4:30am to 7:00am, 24th in line. It was extremely fast when I was there; I was in and out in 10 minutes. Glad I've got mine!
By Scott
June 24, 2010 8:42 PM | Link to this
Why the fever to be the 1st?! I just don't get it. My current iPhone 3gs works just fine and I can sure wait a month or two to get the 4. Jeez.....amazing.
By John Gillnitz
June 24, 2010 7:54 PM | Link to this
The second heart attack comes when you find out you have to buy a $30 rubber band to keep your signal going while you hold the phone.
By Amanda Godwin
June 24, 2010 6:17 PM | Link to this
I got my reserved Iphone 4 from the Radio Shack kiosk in Barton Creek Mall at noon. I walked in the entrance at Norstrom and almost had a heart attack when I saw the lines through the mall! Would I wait in those lines for my iphone4? Probably NOT, however, I got mine within minutes... no line, no wait. My plan worked! I LOVE the new crisp screen as well as the "facetime" - as long as my other friends get their iphones soon... it will be super cool to have that feature.
By Brick VonHeffer
June 24, 2010 5:51 PM | Link to this
GOT MINE! !!!!
By john
June 24, 2010 5:17 PM | Link to this
gotta keep that supply up! http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/06/01/china.foxconn.inside.factory/index.html