I got a call last night from my buddy Mario Armstrong advising me that he was first in line and camping out for his iPhone at the AT&T/Cingular store in White Marsh, Maryland. I asked him... why not the Apple Store in Towson? Turns out, you can't "camp" in the mall. They're closing the store at 2:30 and reopening at 6:00pm sharp, so there was no way for him to guarantee pole position, and there's definitely going to be some element of crowd control needed there.

I was headed to the Apple Store anyway with a tech question, so I thought I'd check out the scene. There clearly was a buzz in the air. I could feel it. It was like all the people working there were bracing themselves, and the customers seemed like it was Christmas Eve.

So I got my question answered, talked to the manager for a couple minutes and got permission to shoot a couple photos outside the store. Once I got my camera out, another employee came out and started asking me if i was with "the press." Of course my answer was a definitive "yes" and I told him it was all cool with the manager, so I was in the clear.

When I got home, my wife informed me that Mario had been on the local news all day long. Story in the Baltimore Sun, WMAR, etc. I'm looking forward to hearing from him "first hand" how it really shapes up, and if it compares to all the hype that's surrounded its introduction. I'm just glad I'm not waiting in line in the rain right now.

(Sun photo by Kenneth K. Lam)
Jun 26, 2007

Labels: Apple, iPhone