iPhone 3G Launches - How it went for me!

Last year, I held off getting the iPhone right away - fearing long lines and a crazy experience. Besides, who "waits in line" to get a phone, right? So, I waited about 1 week last year and then bought my "iPhone v1" without as much as a wait. I took it home and within a few hours of using that phone, I was hooked - proclaiming it the BEST SMARTPHONE I had ever used (I was a huge fan of the Palm Treo line up until iPhone). I was especially impressed with the touch screen keyboard which I just could not believe worked as well as it did, better than the physical keyboard on my old Treo. Quickly, my old Treo became a thing of the past and I walked away from "third party applications" that I thought I could not live without - all for the better experience.

Now, 1 year later, here we are - an even better device with access to AT&T's fast 3G data network and version 2.0 of the software (which now adds third party applications among other much needed features.) I want one and I want it on the very first day I possibly can have it!

I scoped out the 5 AT&T stores near me. I decided early on I wanted an AT&T store instead of an Apple store. My rationale was simple. This time around, the activation is in store... and Apple personnel have never had to activate phones. They may have been very well trained and have a great system - but Apple staff have never activated phones - no matter the training. I was going to play it safe and go straight to the "Evil Empire". I ultimately picked the store that was the most "out of the way" which for me was in Wellington, Florida.

I arrived at 5:45 AM and was number 27 in line. Not terrible at all considering that the first 4 or 5 folks had camped out overnight. Everyone else had arrived early in the AM. By 7:00 AM, AT&T staff were handing out water bottles (this is Florida and it's hot here). They also started passing out the "iPhone checklist" which almost everyone on line found quite helpful. I had seen it online, but most people there had not.

Promptly at 8:00 AM the doors opened and the process began. By 8:00 AM, there were probably 50 more people behind me in the line. The store was very well organized - bringing in only enough people at a time to feed a customer to each of 13 registers.

At 8:45 AM, I was called in. I walked up to a register and explained I had an iPhone 1 and wanted to upgrade. The AT&T rep then grabbed my old phone, swapped SIM cards, punched in a thin or two into the computer, offered me some accessories and 20 minutes later I left the store with my shiny new iPhone 3G ready to make calls. The process there at the store could not have been easier - but of course, I ended up waiting 3 hours - some of it, in the warm Florida heat.

Overall? Not too terrible - IF you were there early and had some patience.

You can see pictures on my Facebook page.