Intentional mayhem

Our new best friend, David Ro (who is definitely not featured in this picture—the pictured guy is Greg Packer, first in line at the Fifth Avenue Apple Store in NYC), sends along a perfectly reasonable suggestion:

Why didn’t Apple create a purchasing priority system via their website? It really could have been simple: On Monday (yesterday), Apple could have posted a window on the iPhone page to the effect of, “Interested in purchasing the iPhone from one of our retail stores? Simply fill out your name and email address, choose a store location from the drop-down menu, and we’ll email you a priority number for your place in line.” This would avert ridiculous camp-outs and random line formation. This would also allow Apple retail employees to have complete control of the situation, lining everyone up in numerical order.

Like I said, perfectly reasonable—except that it’s completely insane.

If Apple didn’t want those ridiculous camp-outs and random line formations it would have offered the iPhone months ago via the Apple Store just as it has with not-fully-baked-we’ll-see-you-next-month iPod, Apple TV, and Macintosh models. But, you see, it’s collectively tickled by this kind of fervor.

Oh sure, Apple occasionally averts its gaze from the Apple fan-boys and girls because it contributes to the tired old “cult of Mac” myth. And yes, it doesn’t always reflect well on the company when the mainstream media posts pictures of overfed goofs with the Apple logo carved in their flesh as an example of the typical Apple user. But, fan-boys and goofs aside, the kind of passion that results from Apple trickling out the barest details of the iPhone and its service plan just prior to the iPhone’s release, imposing special business hours for AT&T and Apple Stores, and, thus, generating these kinds of lines, is worth its weight in gold. Check the headlines. Paris Hilton is freed from the hoosegow, Lake Tahoe is in flames, the CIA publishes the family jewels, and all anyone can talk about is the iPhone.

Like I said, damn the convenience, for Apple this is pure gold.

Category: Musings

Posted by Christopher Breen on Jun 26 2007, 3:07 PM ET

Comments (3)

The timing of the launch is also meant to increase visibility. If the iPhone went on sale at 10 a.m. at store-open, your television coverage suffers. Your local TV station has fewer reporters over night, and in those markets with a local morning show, that would be the extent of your coverage.

With the launch at 6, you now have a full day for the local TV reporters to head over there and interview people in line. By 6, the local news has started so there is no need to have a line at that point.

This is yet another reason why the time is 6 p.m. local and not 6 p.m. Eastern and 3 p.m. West.

Posted by John Mims | June 26, 2007 4:00 PM

I'd say the timing is also meant to increase how many people can line up. If you make it available at 10AM, a lot of people either have to give up, or skip out on work. At 6PM, most people are out of their jobs...and ready to line up for a cellphone on weekend evening. :)

Posted by Dan Moren | June 26, 2007 4:57 PM