NPR: Oh, Right. The New iPhone's On Sale

Oh, Right. The New iPhone's On Sale

Filed under: News

The line for an iPhone in Midtown Manhattan.

Ian Chillag, from our Flickr page.

Because it's the most important thing you could possibly do today, folks are lining up all over America to get the new iPhone. It goes on sale today. Producer Ian Chillag sends this picture, and this report. He'll be sending more pics through our Flickr page. (Bonus: @acarvin has pics from Chinatown in D.C.)

Ian and Win Rosenfeld went up to the Apple Store yesterday, when the scene was very different.

Meanwhile, Liz Burr of KCET in Los Angeles improbably sends this picture from the Apple Store in at the Tysons Corner Center in McClean, Virg. After the jump. . .

Waiting in the mall in Virginia.

From Liz Burr of KCET

Laura Conaway

8:21 AM ET | 07-11-2008 | permalink

Comments (Send a comment)

I work w/Apple & Mac fanatics in the educational publishing world. I understand the clear superiority of the products in that area. But I know people will live and die by their iphones, ipods, itunes, etc. When someone can show my why, then maybe I'll join the cult. Wish I could understand the hubub ... And, yes, I own two PCs w/Windows XP ...

Sent by T. Weiss | 9:02 AM ET | 07-11-2008

Collect canned goods for a food bank.
versus
Spend hours just to be the first to have the new iPhone.

People are strange.

Sent by Marc Naimark | 9:20 AM ET | 07-11-2008

Don't make fun of the guy in line listening to the Zune, if they made it Mac compatible I would get one. The zune pass and music social network is pretty cool. Maybe you guys should look into it.

Sent by J. Pascua | 10:38 AM ET | 07-11-2008

I bought my daughter a Zune for last Christmas and she LOVES it. It has 30 gig, which is enough for a 12-year old by far. Plus hers was on sale for $99. She goes to school w/kids who have ipod video players, iphones, etc. I cannot fathom spending that much on products for children who will mostly likely misplace or lose them.

Plus, I don't like the restriction of the ipods. The Zune takes the same music my Sandisk Sansa mp3 player uses. And my Verizon phone lets me upload the same music to its music player. I'm pretty sure I'll be drowned out by folks loading the new programs to their old iphones all day long. That's what I'm seeing in Twitterland, at least.

Sent by T. Weiss | 11:42 AM ET | 07-11-2008

I never have been and can't forsee myself being an Apple person. I just... don't really like their practices with music restrictions and having to send in the machine just to change the battery. That and it really seems like iPods are built to break between 1-2 years (usually right after the warranty expires). Awfully snarky from my point of view.

Sent by Sarah Lee | 1:28 PM ET | 07-11-2008

I've never been one of those gadget and electronic-phile, so I've never understood why people stand in line for days on end for a phone, or an iPod. I have the original iPod mini, and that works fine. Granted, it's bigger, you can't watch videos in it, and it only holds about 1100 songs, but that works perfectly for me. I don't see the point in buying the newest every year when your older electronics still work just for a sleeker model or another gig of storage. It seems like a waste in money and time.

Sent by Sarah | 1:38 PM ET | 07-11-2008

The store down the street from our house had a line outside at 7:30a. Glad that the economy is picking up! Or maybe these people are unemployed, so have time to spend in line.

Sent by Sandy, Honolulu | 4:46 PM ET | 07-11-2008

I went to the AT&T store just to get a car charger. I came up to one of the store employees to ask if I could get into the store, because they were only escorting people in one at a time.

I did get in, but I got all these dirty looks from people who were waiting in line for the iPhone.

On the other hand, I now know a little bit about how the beautiful people who don't have to wait behind the velvet rope. ;-)

Sent by Matthew C. Scallon | 4:59 PM ET | 07-11-2008

Well it's pretty clear all of you are not Apple stock owners because then you wouldn't hung up on Apple appeal but celebrating all the money you have been making!

Sent by Pablo | 11:21 PM ET | 07-11-2008

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