Skip the navigation
)
News

Rain doesn't thwart Boston iPhone 3G S fans

Despite showers, customers line up for Apple's latest smartphone

June 19, 2009 10:30 AM ET

Computerworld - BOSTON -- Despite on and off rain, more than 120 people hoping to buy the new iPhone 3G S lined up outside the downtown Apple Store here before its 7 a.m. opening.

That number was well below the more than 1,000 who waited in hot, humid conditions at the same store last July when the second-generation iPhone 3G debuted.

It wasn't clear whether the rain kept bigger crowds away, but after the store opened, dozens of additional shoppers continued to arrive, with many standing in heavy rain on the sidewalk an hour after the opening, protecting themselves from the elements with black umbrellas adorned with the iconic white Apple Inc. logo that were handed out by the store staff.

Shoppers at the downtown Boston Apple Store.
Alex Newbury, left, and Patrick Morton, both of Boston, show off the iPhone 3G S devices they bought at the downtown Boston Apple Store. The two were first in line for the devices, having spent a rainy night waiting for the Boylston Street store to open at 7 a.m.

"I'm in line because it's an Apple phone and it looks good," said Andrea Soares of Boston. She said she wanted the new model because of its video capture feature. She said that she's eager to have AT&T Inc., the exclusive iPhone carrier in the U.S., turn on MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) later this summer so she can send and receive video clips.

Soares, who was born in Brazil and has worked in Germany, said she plans to review the video capture function for German readers of Camcorderinfo.com, where she is a managing editor. But mainly the device will be for her personal use, she said.

Two men in their early 20s, Patrick Morton and Alex Newbury, both of Boston, were the first in line at the Boylston Street store after waiting since 9:30 p.m. Thursday and enduring a cold, rainy night to get their new iPhone 3G Ss. By 8 a.m., an hour after opening, they had ported nearly all of their wireless phone numbers from Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel to AT&T with help from the store staff.

"The wait's been OK, and everybody has been nice, even though it was cold last night," said Newbury, who admitted that Apple customers are "a little intense as a group." He said he expects to use his iPhone for a range of functions, including medical applications, since he is a graduate student at Harvard University studying neuroscience.

Morton and Newbury, who were roommates as undergraduates at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., each bought a 32GB device for $299, plus a two-year service plan with voice, data and texting service at a cost of $90 a month. That adds up to a two-year commitment of $2,160 each, not including taxes and fees. Morton said he was willing to shell out the monthly cost even though his company is planning to give him a BlackBerry smartphone at no charge. "It's worth it," he said.



What is Tech Briefcase?
TechBriefcase is a new, free service where IT Professionals can Search, Store and Share IT white papers and content like this. Learn more
Bookmark content
Speed up your research efforts with content across the web.
Search and Store
Find the white papers you need. Create folders for any topic.
View Anywhere
Open your briefcase on your iPhone, tablet or desktop. Share with colleagues.
Don't have an account yet?
Additional Resources
Security KnowledgeVault
WHITE PAPER
Security is not an option. This KnowledgeVault Series offers professional advice how to be proactive in the fight against cybercrimes and multi-layered security threats; how to adopt a holistic approach to protecting and managing data; and how to hire a qualified security assessor. Make security your Number 1 priority.

Read now.

Cut Communications Costs Once and for All
WHITE PAPER
New IP-based communications systems are being deployed by small and midsized businesses at a rapid rate. Learn how these organizations are enabling faster responsiveness, creating better customer experiences, speeding office or mobile interactions, and dramatically reducing existing communications costs.

Read now.

Macintosh White Papers
Practice Management: Double Billing Rate and Improve Patient Services
Would you like to double your billing rate and achieve faster payment for services?

Download this customer success story to see how One Health...
Mission Critical Data Explosion and Customer Case Study
Would you like to double your tier 1 storage capacity while simultaneously reducing your storage footprint?

Download this customer success story to see how...
Protecting Against Database Attacks and Insider Threats: Top 5 Scenarios
Read this new eBook to learn the top five scenarios and essential best practices for preventing database attacks and insider threats.
Database Activity Monitoring Is Evolving
Read the analyst report and learn how you can leverage the core capabilities of a DAP solution for better database security.
Establishing a Strategy for Database Security is No Longer Optional
The options for securing increasingly valuable databases are very broad and deep, and can be confusing. This research provides an overview of three...
All Macintosh White Papers
Macintosh Webcasts
Distributed Database Security with Real-time Monitoring
View this demo and learn how IBM InfoSphere Guardium database activity monitoring can help protect your sensitive data in distributed DBMS environments with...
InfoSphere Warehouse Packs Demo
These flash modules make warehousing more tangible and relevant to business users through detailed explanations of the InfoSphere Warehouse Packs.
Delivery Management -- Extending Lifecycle Management
Date: Wednesday, June 20, 2012, 1:00 PM EDT

Siloed organizations continue doing the wrong things and doing things wrong, leading to increased costs,...
Leverage automation today to reduce IT complexity
Date: Tuesday, June 5, 2012, 2:00 PM EDT

Whether your B2B complexity is caused by multiple technologies due to M&A, business or application specific...
Redefine Expectations in the Data Center
Need to do more with less? Watch this video to learn how HP ProLiant Gen8 servers can help your business deploy servers three...
All Macintosh Webcasts
Newsletter Sign-Up

Receive the latest news test, reviews and trends on your favorite technology topics

Choose a newsletter
  1. View all newsletters | Privacy Policy
IT Jobs