Mission Accomplished: I have an iPhone

My faith in Apple is not misplaced, but after 44 years having any faith at all about how smart people are, including myself sometimes, is pretty misplaced. At about 7:40 for reasons I won't bore you with I wound up with a couple of hours on my hands I hadn't anticipated so I thought let me get up to the AT&T store on Union St. before it closes @ 8 p.m.

I arrived at about 7:50p and there was a small line, maybe 7 or 8 people. There was someone from AT&T in a greeter role and I asked if I would get in before the store closed. He advised me that they were supposed to be open until 10p.m. and that I would be taken care of. I was stupid in that I didn't stop to ask if they had any phones. A couple of minutes later someone smarter than me came by and DID ask that question. Guess what? They didn't, the line was for people wanting the phone direct shipped to their home. Who stands in line for 15 minutes for stuff they can do on the Internet in 2 minutes? The 7 or 8 people in front of me, that's who.

It's a mistake thinking people think like me. A mistake I shouldn't ever make again. As fate would have it, I saw the rare empty cab coming in my direction and I saw that as a sign from God. I hailed it and went downtown to the Apple Store.

They had a gazillion phones and I was in and out of there in 2 minutes. I spent more time walking the few blocks from the Apple Store to the Westin St. Francis hotel to get a cab. I was home by 8:28 p.m. and the whole thing door to door with 2 cabs and being a fool for waiting 3 minutes at the AT&T store was less than an hour.

There was a frenzy at the Apple Store. There were dozens of -- I guess I'd just call them Apple cultists. They weren't there to BUY the phone, they just wanted to hear all about it from Apple spokespeople. I find it...strange, but definitely a good thing for Apple.

I did not escape the frenzy completely unscathed. When I got outside the Apple Store a tourist with his girlfriend asked "Please, please can I just take a picture of the bag, the whole thing is so amazing, you're so lucky!!" What was I going to say? So I let him. And realizing the truth of it, that I am in fact lucky as hell, I was feeling generous and asked him if he wanted to take a picture of the box. He did.

If you can believe it, I'm putting off my own picture taking, activating and getting my TV (and this time LIVE TV too) on my iPhone until tomorrow.

The Apple Store experience was really easy. I can't wait until the new store opens up on Chestnut St., only a few block walk away. Getting V2 of the iPhone will be an even easier.