by John Yantis The Arizona Republic Jun. 25, 2010 08:18 AM
Hundreds of mostly young, patient and tech-savvy customers lined up for hours at Biltmore Fashion Park in Phoenix on Thursday to be the first to get Apple Inc's latest iPhone.
Even at lunchtime, hours after the Apple Store's 7 a.m. opening, a double line - one for those who reserved the phone and one for those who didn't - snaked from the front of the Apple Store around the corner to a sidewalk ringing the mall parking lot.
Some reports said that, after introducing the iPhone 4 model in five countries, Apple was on its way to selling a record 1 million iPhones on Thursday alone, raising concerns about supply shortages.
By 3:30 p.m. Thursday, an employee at the Biltmore store said the phone had been sold out for at least two hours. Customers who ordered one were not being promised delivery dates because the store did not know when it would get another shipment, he said.
More than 600,000 people pre-ordered the phones earlier this month, according to Apple.
The launch was the latest triumph for the Cupertino, Calif.-based company, which announced this week that it had sold 3 million iPads in the 80 days since the tabletlike product hit the market.
Although there are a few glitches, including the replacement of some SIM cards and problems using the iPhone's new antenna, customers were excited to try the new features, including video calling, high-definition recording and what Apple says is an improved crystal-clear display. The new version, which starts at $199, is thinner than its predecessor and features tougher glass in its design.
Armando Sausedo, 29, began his effort to get one at 4 a.m. Wednesday. By 11:45 a.m. Thursday, he was fifth in the line for those who hadn't pre-ordered.
He and others, including a man who had a tent and beat the crowd by arriving at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, lined up before sunrise along Camelback Road because mall management didn't want customers close to the store until it opened, Sausedo said. There were about 400 people waiting to get in when Apple employees opened up, he said.
At first, the store was allowing 15 people inside who had pre-ordered to every one who didn't.
"The crowd became irate, so they lowered it," Sausedo said. By the time he got to the front door, the ratio was two people who reserved a phone to every one who didn't.
"I did not upgrade to iPhone 3GS, so I got left behind in one upgrade," he said, adding that he was looking forward to linking the phone with other wireless Internet products. "Now that I am eligible, I definitely want one of those new phones," Sausedo added.
Sausedo was assured he would get one while he was standing in line when employees with a counter walked past him two hours before he entered the store.
"When they passed our section, we were happy," he said.
Police officers kept an eye on the store and the crowd. Water, snacks and pizza were provided to those in line under an awning that provided shade. Every time a customer was allowed in, the crowd clapped and cheered. Apple associates shook hands with the lucky ones as soon as they entered the store.
Stan Swartz, who splits his time between Phoenix and San Francisco, emerged from inside with a grin and a small iPhone box.
"I've had Apple (smartphones) since the first one," he said. Swartz paid a friend of his son $50 to stand in line for him early Thursday morning. When the iPad was released, he paid $200 for someone to save his spot.
He compared the new iPhone to his BlackBerry smartphone. The BlackBerry doesn't work well in some areas of San Francisco, and it takes more steps on the BlackBerry to perform simple tasks, including taking a photo, he said. "It's like a Volkswagen and a Rolls-Royce," Swartz said, praising Apple's customer service..
Not everyone in line was ready to try the more than 225,000 applications available for iPhone users.
"I just talk and listen to Pandora Radio," said Jonathan Ibarra, who drove from Goodyear to the Biltmore store, partly because his older iPhone had cracked. "I don't do all the techie stuff. It's just a nice phone."
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