Let's go make fun of people standing in line for iPhones

[End User]

These Apple product launches remind me of when Windows 95 came out. There were people camped out overnight in front of Best Buy and CompUSA. I thought it was ridiculous then, and I still do.

You are awesome. You hang around a tech enthusiast site and then tell everyone they stupid for being enthusiasts.

[leor]

Why would a perfectly reasonable, rational, good in fiscal management, Samsung customer follow the example of someone wasting resources (money and/or time) to queue?

Whoa! That's a lot of attributes you're associating with samsung phone ownership there!

I do not, nor will i ever understand how it is that corporations manage to get consumers to have such strong feelings of loyalty or hatred. Is this the geek version of rooting for your favorite sports team? Just because company X made a good product 2 years ago, or company Y has people that annoy you enjoying their products, why does that affect the product you will buy today? Get the device that suits you the best and stop sweating these multi-billion dollar corporations that could care less if you live or die (unless of course you'r killed using one of their products and your family sues them).

[entropy13]

even though they make better phones

You people [insert random "what do you mean, "you people"? joke here] never cease to amuse me

iOS by itself already made any iPhone worse than any other phone, and Windows phones are following that trend. No amount of hardware advantages would make the iPhone the best. For an analogy, it's like installing Windows 98 in an SSD (Corsair's Neutron for example) and claim it's much better than Windows 7 installed in "only" a Western Digital Caviar Black. Although that's a bit unfair of an analogy since Windows 98 is quite old. So then let's compare Linux with Windows 7 instead. Still the same issue. Putting Linux in an SSD didn't automatically make the Linux+SSD combo better than the 7+HDD combo.

Why would a perfectly reasonable, rational, good in fiscal management, Samsung customer follow the example of someone wasting resources (money and/or time) to queue?

Whoa! That's a lot of attributes you're associating with samsung phone ownership there!

I do not, nor will i ever understand how it is that corporations manage to get consumers to have such strong feelings of loyalty or hatred. Is this the geek version of rooting for your favorite sports team? Just because company X made a good product 2 years ago, or company Y has people that annoy you enjoying their products, why does that affect the product you will buy today? Get the device that suits you the best and stop sweating these multi-billion dollar corporations that could care less if you live or die (unless of course you'r killed using one of their products and your family sues them).

Of course the description is not restricted to Samsung customers, it could apply to HTC, LG, etc., just not the followers of the Sacred Word of the Holy Apple.

And as I have said countless times, the Holy Apple, the Blessed Company of Cupertino, the True Bringer of Enlightenment, the Bastion of Real Innovation, the Messenger of the Sacred Word, the Church of the Lord Steve Jobs, is not a corporation, it is a religious institution.

[JohnC]

iOS by itself already made any iPhone worse than any other phone.

Even Motorola DynaTAC????

[entropy13]

iOS by itself already made any iPhone worse than any other phone.

Even Motorola DynaTAC????

Even Sony's Xperia/Playstation hybrid is better than the iPhone. That obviously does not mean that that Sony flop was good. Just that it was marginally better than iPhones. That Xperia/Playstation hybrid was a convoluted combination of a smartphone and a PSP, and isn't "shiny", but iPhones are shiny pieces of s**t. Shiny, yes, but they're pieces of s**t. The Sony was Frankenstein, but Frankenstein wasn't made out of pieces of s**t.

[just brew it!]

You are awesome. You hang around a tech enthusiast site and then tell everyone they stupid for being enthusiasts.

You can be enthusiastic about something without crossing the line into being fanatical.

Edit: And in this particular case (Apple and the iPhone), the fact that Apple seems to be on the cusp of shifting to a "litigate rather than innovate" business model colors my opinion as well.

[entropy13]

You can be enthusiastic about something without crossing the line into being fanatical.

They are not fanatical, they are simply being true to the teachings (the Sacred Word) of the Holy Apple, the Blessed Company of Cupertino, the True Bringer of Enlightenment, the Bastion of Real Innovation, the Church of the Lord Steve Jobs.

And in this particular case (Apple and the iPhone), the fact that Apple seems to be on the cusp of shifting to a "litigate rather than innovate" business model colors my opinion as well.

Blasphemy! The Holy Apple is the Bastion of Real Innovation!

[End User]

You can be enthusiastic about something without crossing the line into being fanatical.

Standing in line for something does not make one fanatical.

Edit: And in this particular case (Apple and the iPhone), the fact that Apple seems to be on the cusp of shifting to a "litigate rather than innovate" business model colors my opinion as well.

That is a simplistic view of things.

Steve Jobs made it clear back in 2007 that Apple would defend itself. You must be living under a rock if you think that Samsung is an innocent bystander.

[End User]

You can be enthusiastic about something without crossing the line into being fanatical.

They are not fanatical, they are simply being true to the teachings (the Sacred Word) of the Holy Apple, the Blessed Company of Cupertino, the True Bringer of Enlightenment, the Bastion of Real Innovation, the Church of the Lord Steve Jobs.

And in this particular case (Apple and the iPhone), the fact that Apple seems to be on the cusp of shifting to a "litigate rather than innovate" business model colors my opinion as well.

Blasphemy! The Holy Apple is the Bastion of Real Innovation!

Wow. Weird and creepy.

[paulWTAMU]

Standing in line for a long while to get something you could just walk in and buy the day after release makes you a bit odd, and probably a bit fanatical.

I'm with JBI; I don't get camping out for the new shiny. It'll still be new and shiny when the next shipment comes in.

[JohnC]

You can be enthusiastic about something without crossing the line into being fanatical.

Standing in line for something does not make one fanatical.

EVERYTHING is "fanaticism" if it involves Apple products! People are only considered to display "enthusiasm" if it involves non-Apple products Unless there's a current trend to hate on some other company, like AMD, or Nvidia, then "enthusiasm" for their products also automatically becomes "fanaticism"

[Jigar]

These Apple product launches remind me of when Windows 95 came out. There were people camped out overnight in front of Best Buy and CompUSA. I thought it was ridiculous then, and I still do.

You are awesome. You hang around a tech enthusiast site and then tell everyone they stupid for being enthusiasts.

Being Enthusiast doesn't mean you do stupid things like camping overnight outside the shop. I am an Enthusiast, i look out for latest and the greatest products, but i make rational purchase decisions, wait for the review and make decision.

[End User]

Standing in line for a long while to get something you could just walk in and buy the day after release

If only that were true.

I'm with JBI; I don't get camping out for the new shiny. It'll still be new and shiny when the next shipment comes in.

As someone who is waiting on WD 3TB Red drives I can safely say that I should not have followed your advice.

[End User]

These Apple product launches remind me of when Windows 95 came out. There were people camped out overnight in front of Best Buy and CompUSA. I thought it was ridiculous then, and I still do.

You are awesome. You hang around a tech enthusiast site and then tell everyone they stupid for being enthusiasts.

Being Enthusiast doesn't mean you do stupid things like camping overnight outside the shop. I am an Enthusiast, i look out for latest and the greatest products, but i make rational purchase decisions, wait for the review and make decision.

Reviews generally go live when the product hits the shelves. If you wait you will miss out on the first run. That can mess up a new build. You've got to act fast sometimes.

[DancinJack]

EVERYTHING is "fanaticism" if it involves Apple products! People are only considered to display "enthusiasm" if it involves non-Apple products Unless there's a current trend to hate on some other company, like AMD, or Nvidia, then "enthusiasm" for their products also automatically becomes "fanaticism"

This is honestly and unfortunately pretty true. To be fair, some of the people waiting in line for Apple products for days and days and touting it's capabilities without knowing what they even do is pretty lame. That's not to say it doesn't happen for other products because it does. Apple fans just seem to get more of the hate than anyone else. I've got no issue with the folks sitting or standing in line for any product. If you want it, go get it. The part I have an issue with is wanting it that bad, but not being a real enthusiast about it. That's just my opinion though. If you want it, get it, and it makes you happy then who cares.

This is all to be expected though. You said it yourself above, JohnC. There is no reason to egg it on by making posts like this though. Just feeds exactly what people already think, no matter how wrong or misguided it may be.

[Jigar]

Being Enthusiast doesn't mean you do stupid things like camping overnight outside the shop. I am an Enthusiast, i look out for latest and the greatest products, but i make rational purchase decisions, wait for the review and make decision.

Reviews generally go live when the product hits the shelves. If you wait you will miss out on the first run. That can mess up a new build. You've got to act fast sometimes.

Tell that to my GHZ edition of HD 7970.

If i were you, i had to settle with normal HD 7970 which although was fast but couldn't beat GTX 680 out of the box.

If you wait you will miss out on the first run.That can mess up a new build. You've got to act fast sometimes.

I still didn't get what messes up, infact my experience says let the early adopters suffer the bugs, i would rather enjoy the bulletproof product

[trackerben]

It's an over-priced incremental improvement over its predecessor (which was also over-priced), produced by a company that has demonstrated recently that they'd rather compete in the courtroom than the marketplace.

Good enough is ok and I do have high base expectations of what is "good enough". But these don't include LTE and a bigger carry for now which is why I am still satisfied with my 3GS. Disregarding aging and replacement issues, most anything new with little functional advantage over prior models would be over-priced in relation if the market would allow it. The larger screen and faster connectivity of the iPhone5 offer no advantages for many like me, but would for many, many others. For those with uncapped LTE it wouldn't be merely incremental, it would be like going from 10base-T to 100mbps uncapped ethernet, and unhindered changes of that magnitude usually bring unforeseen revolutions. Just ask the S Koreans.

I also don't see how competing commercially in a marketplace is usefully comparable to competing legally in a justice system, since these are different grounds with different objectives and parties, which process and game systematically in rather different ways.

highly-regarded,

By some, not by all.

Agreed. Microsoft obviously did not think it worth copying iPhone designs concepts wholesale unlike Samsung.

a lowly behavior to be treated with mocking contempt?

I wouldn't say "lowly". More like "silly". And I wouldn't say "contempt" either. More like "amusement". OK, maybe a little contempt too.

Contempt is when one feelingly ascribes despicable, disgraceful attributes to an object mentally considered inferior. I would not use this to describe the reputation of those who line up excitedly to secure something they desire passionately. This would include many people worth listening to like Wozniak, who was at Valley Fair Apple on iPad day and who likely lined up in Australia for the 5.

Isn't encouraging consumption in these dismal economic times a Good Thing? Is this what tech sites are about these days?

I've got no problem with getting excited about new tech. I just don't understand why people would be willing to stand in line for hours to get it. Is having it a few days sooner going to make your life so much better that it is worth sacrificing a day, or paying someone else $150 to stand in line for you?

Like you I'm also an advocate of visiting places like Disneyland or San Francisco's CAS at different times against the flow. But I wouldn't normally begrudge those who rush there beforehand or on holiday weekends unless it gives rise to safety issues. For many people, being first to buy into the the offerings of a new musical or new landmark museum or new Apple event brings social bragging rights for making their peers envious. But if one is not in a particular circle (I don't go to Opera or know many opera goers for example), then why dwell unprofitably on their piece of Maslow's country? When your own self-fulfillment or other-religion is there for the racing?

[derFunkenstein]

These Apple product launches remind me of when Windows 95 came out. There were people camped out overnight in front of Best Buy and CompUSA. I thought it was ridiculous then, and I still do.

You are awesome. You hang around a tech enthusiast site and then tell everyone they stupid for being enthusiasts.

This is not enthusiasm, though. This is crazy-go-nuts obsession. It was then and it is now.

[Ryu Connor]

Not something I do, but I don't see how the behavior is any different than lining up for a Black Friday sale.

I too am somewhat disapointed with the tone of this thread. The entire topic is little better than flamebait and stone throwing in glass houses.

[travbrad]

Isn't encouraging consumption in these dismal economic times a Good Thing? Is this what tech sites are about these days?

I've got no problem with getting excited about new tech. I just don't understand why people would be willing to stand in line for hours to get it. Is having it a few days sooner going to make your life so much better that it is worth sacrificing a day, or paying someone else $150 to stand in line for you?

It's basically the "grown-up" version of a kid wanting to have the latest toy before anyone else at school.

Not something I do, but I don't see how the behavior is any different than lining up for a Black Friday sale.

I think that behavior is pretty crazy too though, getting trampled for "good deals" on what is usually poor-quality goods. Black Friday lines do make slightly more sense than waiting in line for an iPhone though, because the stores have a limited supply of the cheap stuff, whereas Apple will have a virtually infinite supply of iPhones and the prices won't change.

Admittedly the only time I've actually experience the Black Friday craze was when I worked retail though.

This is not enthusiasm, though. This is crazy-go-nuts obsession. It was then and it is now.

Yep I wouldn't really call most of them "enthusiasts" when they seem to know almost nothing about the product apart from it having a 5 in the name. I consider myself a PC hardware enthusiast because I'm genuinely interested in all the new parts/architectures/performance/etc, but that doesn't mean I buy every new CPU or graphics card that comes along, let alone waiting in line for them.

[Scrotos]

It took me a few minutes, but I finally get it! This is hilarious!

This thread is the equivalent of some highschoolers trying to be cool by making fun of the "normal" people. I picture some 80's goth style kids off to the corner making ironic and witty comments to each other about what the rest of the kids in the lunch room are wearing and who they are associating with. It's not even that y'all covet any specific item, it's more like you resent other people for wanting stuff and not having the same opinions on life that you do. Not actively dismiss (else this thread wouldn't exist), but really really resent these people who wait in line for whatever product be it Apple or Samsung or for any sales events. What I can't tell, though, is if this is increasing the social standing of y'all amongst your peers or if you're just doing it to salve some internal issues.

It's like a Jhonen Vasquez comic with less violence!

[derFunkenstein]

Not something I do, but I don't see how the behavior is any different than lining up for a Black Friday sale.

Another spectacular waste of time. I'll just sleep in.

[just brew it!]

Steve Jobs made it clear back in 2007 that Apple would defend itself. You must be living under a rock if you think that Samsung is an innocent bystander.

No, Samsung is not entirely innocent either. However, the verdict in the recent trial was a gross miscarriage of justice. Jurors (and the jury foreman) have subsequently made statements which make it quite clear that there was significant jury misconduct. Among other things, jury instructions were blatantly disregarded in a number of key areas (e.g. prior art).

Sorry to hear you're having trouble getting the WD Red drives. But would you have camped out overnight to get them if you could? (I would not have, obviously.)

[Corrado]

iOS by itself already made any iPhone worse than any other phone, and Windows phones are following that trend. No amount of hardware advantages would make the iPhone the best. For an analogy, it's like installing Windows 98 in an SSD (Corsair's Neutron for example) and claim it's much better than Windows 7 installed in "only" a Western Digital Caviar Black. Although that's a bit unfair of an analogy since Windows 98 is quite old. So then let's compare Linux with Windows 7 instead. Still the same issue. Putting Linux in an SSD didn't automatically make the Linux+SSD combo better than the 7+HDD combo..

Except that by all accounts, the CPU in the iPhone5 smokes the bejesus out of everything else out there right now. And having a phone that is metal and glass is better than glossy plastic or rubberized plastic that peels off after its been in your pocket or a purse for more than a few weeks.

You can talk all you want about the software, but like I said, I have an Android phone right now... and its nowhere NEAR as stable to smooth as my wife's iPhone 4S. And my Android phone is a dual core 1.4ghz, 1gb ram, 4" SAMOLED with LTE, so its not a bottom of the barrel phone. Android is popular because its the best thing that isn't an iPhone. That doesn't mean its as good, or even good at all. It just means that its better than the everything that isn't the iPhone. And as I'm sure you know, since you're one of them, there are a lot of people that will not buy an iPhone simply because its an iPhone. That leaves them with a short list of Windows Phone, Android or BlackBerry. As much as I like Windows Phone from an OS perspective, the app selection sucks, and BlackBerry is barely even an option anymore. So if you want a smartphone, what can you pick? Your options are a giant douche and a turd sandwich.

[Corrado]

It took me a few minutes, but I finally get it! This is hilarious!

This thread is the equivalent of some highschoolers trying to be cool by making fun of the "normal" people. I picture some 80's goth style kids off to the corner making ironic and witty comments to each other about what the rest of the kids in the lunch room are wearing and who they are associating with. It's not even that y'all covet any specific item, it's more like you resent other people for wanting stuff and not having the same opinions on life that you do. Not actively dismiss (else this thread wouldn't exist), but really really resent these people who wait in line for whatever product be it Apple or Samsung or for any sales events. What I can't tell, though, is if this is increasing the social standing of y'all amongst your peers or if you're just doing it to salve some internal issues.

It's like a Jhonen Vasquez comic with less violence!

This is how I view it. How are they affecting you AT ALL? They're not. So let people do what they're into. I see that as a lot of the problem with society today. People seem to need to get involved in things that don't affect them. Just leave people alone until what they're doing affects you.

[just brew it!]

This is how I view it. How are they affecting you AT ALL? They're not. So let people do what they're into. I see that as a lot of the problem with society today. People seem to need to get involved in things that don't affect them. Just leave people alone until what they're doing affects you.

You got involved in this thread. How does this thread affect you?

[derFunkenstein]

He waited in line.

[Glorious]

Not something I do, but I don't see how the behavior is any different than lining up for a Black Friday sale.

I don't do that either. I think Black Friday is actually worse, but generally I agree completely with JBI.

He waited in line.

You win the thread.

[Lucky Jack Aubrey]

I just switched to the iPhone 5 from the iPhone 4. I ordered mine through the AT&T website on Friday the 14th right after I got up and started moving around - I think it was around 5:45 am CDT. My phone was delivered on Friday the 21st and I was using it early Friday evening. For the record, it's a nice phone, both lighter and peppier than was my iPhone 4, and it doesn't have the "death grip" problem, so I've enjoyed it so far.

The point of that disclosure was not to scoreboard anyone, but more to illustrate the point that I don't really get the obsession with camping out outside the Apple store. Then again, I only ever "camped out" one time in my life - for A&M-Texas football tickets when I was in college - and I hated it. Is it a cultural thing? I know that lots of other folks besides just me got their phones delivered last Friday, and that seems to me like it would take much of the fun out of camping out to "be first". Seriously, camping out on a sidewalk all night (or longer) is worth beating a few other folks to the punch by not even a day, but a matter of a few hours?

[End User]

I just switched to the iPhone 5 from the iPhone 4. I ordered mine through the AT&T website on Friday the 14th right after I got up and started moving around - I think it was around 5:45 am CDT. My phone was delivered on Friday the 21st and I was using it early Friday evening. For the record, it's a nice phone, both lighter and peppier than was my iPhone 4, and it doesn't have the "death grip" problem, so I've enjoyed it so far.

The point of that disclosure was not to scoreboard anyone, but more to illustrate the point that I don't really get the obsession with camping out outside the Apple store. Then again, I only ever "camped out" one time in my life - for A&M-Texas football tickets when I was in college - and I hated it. Is it a cultural thing? I know that lots of other folks besides just me got their phones delivered last Friday, and that seems to me like it would take much of the fun out of camping out to "be first". Seriously, camping out on a sidewalk all night (or longer) is worth beating a few other folks to the punch by not even a day, but a matter of a few hours?

Steve Wozniak went to Australia and lined up for one.

I've wait in line in the past as it was simply the best way to get my hands on one at the time (a friend of mine waited months before he could just walk into a store and pick one up). This time I ordered one directly from Apple.