trackerben wrote:Make fun of people who are so interested in the latest stuff that they will line up for it?
Absolutely; because they deserve it.
Is lining up for something new, highly-regarded, and scarce a lowly behavior to be treated with mocking contempt?
Yes. Lining up for hours on end, or paying someone to stand in line for you, to buy a
phone is behavior worthy of being mocked. Yes, the phone is new... and yes, I suppose it's highly-regarded by some people - though that is subjective, and based on the reviews may not be as many people as you think. But scarce? Really? It's not as if Apple is only making a limited amount of these things.
Isn't encouraging consumption in these dismal economic times a Good Thing? Is this what tech sites are about these days?
If these people are standing in line for hours on end, they aren't working or participating in the larger economy. It would be better, economically speaking, for these people to go about their business and simply buy an iPhone when it's convenient.
As for what tech sites are about, tech sites are about tech. And that includes how people react to tech. And sometimes mocking them.