Tom Balev Like thousands of people around the world, I decided to join the board for a new iPhone this year. The decision was not difficult, since I skipped last year's upgrade. The nearest destination was the Apple Store on Regent Street in London. Originally the plan was for Covern Garden, but according to the morning updates, this store was slightly more busy than the one on Regent Street.
The morning came, direction London, subway, Oxford Circus and rush to the Apple Store. At first glance, I was attracted by the crowd of people (about 30-40) standing in line inside the Apple Store. I directed it to one of the Apple guys because I couldn't believe that on the first day of sales of the iPhone 5, which is supposed to be a bestseller, there were only three dozen people standing at 8.30:XNUMX in the morning. Of course, the answer was that the council is on the other side of the Apple store (due to the restriction of the entire sidewalk on Regent street).
Okay then. Right around the corner, a line of about 30 people (plus 20 Apple guys and 10 security guards) was waiting again. This was followed by the question of where to get the serial number. Answer: two blocks down from where the queue starts. 3 minutes after that I joined the queue and 10 seconds after that, the Apple guy with a smile directed me to the previous queue, which was even further away. That's when I knew that my plans to be at home with a new iPhone by 12 o'clock had failed.
Basically, there is not much to explain about standing in line. It's more or less the same: tedious and boring. I recommend getting in touch with your immediate surroundings, otherwise you won't have much fun and entertainment like iPhone games or iPad books won't last long.
As for the people in the queue, 99% are nice and happy to chat with you or hold a seat. Regarding that place, I was interested in the situation where the mother jumped out of the queue to buy water for her daughter and when she came back she found out that she had to line up at the very beginning. I don't know how it ended, but the Apple guys were very strict, and security sometimes had to help them.
So to sum it up: the line was divided into several parts, the longest of which stretched across the entire park, which is right behind the Apple Store building. I spent 7 and a half hours out of 8 here before I got to the checkout. At various sections, Apple checked and marked serial numbers in case someone managed to overtake the board. You can forget about snacks and the only thing Apple gave away was a small coffee from Starbucks. And if you happened to decide on the attached toilets, you can join the queue and wait another 20 minutes.
Was it worth waiting 8 hours for an iPhone?
A simple answer for some, but I think I won't repeat standing in the queue. On the one hand, it's an experience that I recommend trying at least once, on the other hand, it's tiring. And as one guy shouted into a megaphone from a neighboring street: "People, what's wrong with you? You stand in line for several hours, pay incredible money... and for what? Because of some toy." Who knows, maybe it was an attempt at competition on the part of Samsung, where such a trick doesn't happen...
PS: The EarPods (the new headphones for the iPhone) far exceeded all my expectations and are clearly a huge step forward compared to the old generation.
Yeah waiting in line is brutal ;) I tried it on an iPad 2 in Sydney (George St.) where the line was around the whole block and stretched as far as the Queens Victoria Building (QVB – Huge shopping mall) and it started raining for a while so it was quite fun. Anyway, I wasn't waiting there to buy something, I was waiting there with a friend, who was buying an iPad 2. It was definitely an experience, even though I say I wouldn't go there again, so I went :D...
You could also briefly add a few first impressions of the new iPhone. But that will probably be a new article.
Who can figure it out in Slovak? It's probably a Czech website...
you're probably pretty stubborn when you don't understand Slovak!
well, it's different for a Slovak... you don't have dubbing at home, so you watch most of the film in the road, and a million Slovaks study here, so you don't have problems with the road... we have our own dubbing, so we're not used to playing tricks on you ;-)
I'm 16 and I understand Czech just fine, even though I didn't experience it in Czechoslovakia... I don't understand how Czechs can have a problem with it
so they probably won't have a problem with the road because...
after all, I'm not Czech but Slovak...
They don't, only a few jouds do.
Please don't be nervous :) it's not your fault that you don't understand :) it's the fault of your brain :) And if you understand, I don't understand what's bothering you :) (if you're a nationalist, take it easy, and don't get nervous right away..)
try translate.google if you are so stupid
I ALREADY HAVE A 16GB VERSION FROM GERMANY. YESTERDAY I PICKED IT UP IN PRAGUE FROM A PERSON WHO TAKES IT AT KSEFT. I DIDN'T HAVE TO WAIT AND I WAS SURE IT WOULD BE :-)
I agree, I bought Earpods on Regent street and they are really good headphones :)
"maybe it was an attempt at competition from Samsung" You're not serious, are you?
I had enough of waiting in line for a cat at iStyle in Prague on Revoluční. I was 29 and I didn't enjoy it that much anymore, I agree that the best thing is to talk to the people around you and laugh at those people who were almost able to fight to get 10% discount :D