Line Forms At Apple's Always-Open Manhattan Cube

SpectreBlofeld writes "According to EngadgetMobile, a line has formed in front of Apple's flagship Cube store in Manhattan. From the article: 'So word on the street (literally) is that a large number of people are queuing in line outside of Apple's flagship store on 5th Avenue in New York City — keep in mind the Cube is open 24 hours a day. Our intrepid girl-on-the-scene reports that the group is more than 60-deep, though most people seem confused about what they're waiting for, but some believe they're actually camping out for a 3G iPhone.' Prank, or mass hysteria?" I wonder if the crowd already has its own Flickr group set up -- if not, what are they waiting for on that front?

Mass Hysteria

[Erioll (229536)]

It's apple people. What ELSE could it be but mass hysteria? ;)

Re:Mass Hysteria

[Z00L00K (682162)]

Mass confusion maybe?

It's usually better to wait for a while when a new product is released - that way someone else will have all problems.

Re:Mass Hysteria

[Pollardito (781263)]

nothing to see here. just a bunch of people seeking iGuidance, looking for an iPurpose to live

Re:Mass Hysteria

[flamingnight (234353)]

seeking iGuidance, looking for an iPurpose to live

iBelieve it's called iLife [apple.com]

Re:Mass Hysteria

[by Anonymous Coward]

It's apple people. What ELSE could it be but mass hysteria? ;)

OS X and commodity x86 architectures living together?

Re:Mass Hysteria

[dotancohen (1015143)]

It's apple people. What ELSE could it be but mass hysteria? ;)

OS X and commodity x86 architectures living together?

Nobody steps on a Mac in my town!

Re:Mass Hysteria

[flyingsquid (813711)]

It's apple people. What ELSE could it be but mass hysteria? ;)

Yeah, but when we Apple fans do mass hysteria, it's in a hip, cool, stylish kinda way.

Re:Mass Hysteria

[petermgreen (876956)]

I guess it is a sign that i'm an electronics/computer geek that I don't consider a soldering iron and a decent selection of screwdrivers to be special tools. Putty knives are a bit of an odd tool to be using for electronics work but they aren't exactly an unusual tool in general.

And because there are realtively few models of mac it is generally fairly easy to find information on what order things come apart in (which is generally the biggest challange when working on laptops and similar IMO)

Re:Mass Hysteria

[NatasRevol (731260)]

This will help you take them apart.

http://www.powerbookmedic.com/Take-Apart-Repair-Manuals-p-1-c-258.html [powerbookmedic.com]

The Onion

[StCredZero (169093)]

"Line forms spontaneously at NYC Apple Store" It sounds like a headline on The Onion! I guess we've been at the point where The Onion sounds like real life [theonion.com] for some time now.

Re:Mass Hysteria

[NMerriam (15122)]

It's apple people. What ELSE could it be but mass hysteria? ;)

Yeah, but it's mass hysteria with hipsters and threesomes with hot vegetarian girls protesting the war.

Re:Mass Hysteria

[Carnildo (712617)]

Performance art, perhaps? Has anyone checked to see what Improv Everywhere is up to?

Re:good computers

[dotancohen (1015143)]

Yes, it must be tough to deal with such huge crowds.

60 people? NYC's entire Mac-using population has shown up!

Re:Mass Hysteria

[Mr2001 (90979)]

So I bought a computer I'll get at least five years of real use out of instead of a two year throw away HP or Dell.

"Two year throw away HP or Dell"... what is that supposed to mean? Yes, of course it'd be a waste of money to throw away your HP laptop every two years - but it'd be an even bigger waste to throw away your MacBook every two years, wouldn't it? That's why you don't do that.

There's nothing stopping you from keeping a non-Apple product for longer than two years, you know. Hell, my Toshiba laptop must be at least 6 years old now.

As to replacing the phone, most people replace their phones every two years or so, the trendies replace them every six months. I'm certainly not discarding an 8 month old phone for GPS and faster networking. Sometimes buying the cheapest is not the best way to save money.

In this case, however, there's a lot of room between "the cheapest" and an iPhone. For example, you could've gotten a feature phone that does 95% of the same stuff as an iPhone for 15% of the price, and you'd be able to keep it just as long as you're going to keep your iPhone.

See, buying something more expensive only saves you money in the long run if the cheaper one would need so much more maintenance or replacement that it wouldn't be cost-effective. But this isn't one of those situations. An HP, Dell, Toshiba, or any other competing laptop will last just as long as your MacBook (for hundreds of dollars less), and a Samsung, LG, Motorola, or any other competing phone will last just as long as your iPhone (for hundreds of dollars less).

There's nothing wrong with spending more money to get something flashy or cute or whatever, but don't pretend you're saving money this way.

Re:Giant orgy

[eli pabst (948845)]

A giant fanboy orgy is going to take place inside the cube. Steve Jobs will allow them all the blow him 10 seconds each.

Well that's obviously wrong. The line would be a hell of a lot longer than 60 deep for that.

The Time Machine

[Mordok-DestroyerOfWo (1000167)]

Does this remind anybody else of the Eloi gathering to be taken underground by the Morlocks?

Re:The Time Machine

[by Anonymous Coward]

Actually, the first thing I thought of is the old Cold War story that a reporter in an Iron Curtain country decided to just wait at a door and see what happened, and shortly thereafter someone else joined him, and so on, until they'd accumulated a line around the block. It was always presented as some kind of myth about the Communist Mentality of mindless herd-like behavior or some similar propaganda deal. I guess this goes to show it's more like general human nature.

Re:The Time Machine

[sconeu (64226)]

I'd heard that one, but I've also heard the same story about Brits. Apparently, they'll queue up just for the hell of it.

Re:The Time Machine

[Rakshasa Taisab (244699)]

I live in Japan... I've seen _much_ worse. It's like a perfect storm of high population density and a love for queuing in orderly fashion.

Apple...

[ChowRiit (939581)]

You know Apple fandom is getting excessive when a product doesn't even need to exist to get hyped...

Re:Apple...

[Selfbain (624722)]

Whatever is in there, it's the only thing I've ever wanted! - Fry

Re:Apple...

[mrslacker (1122161)]

Guess you haven't seen this ;-)

http://www.misterbg.org/AppleProductCycle/ [misterbg.org]

hth.

Coming soon! The iNull!

[OldManAndTheC++ (723450)]

Whispers are circulating concerning a new Apple offering, to be known as the "iNull". Apple's latest tech blockbuster is said to involve no hardware or software, will not be offered as an online service, will not be encumbered by DRM, and in fact will have no actual existence at all, either physical or virtual.

"Apple will change the way we look at nothingness as a society," said one industry insider. "This is game-changing. Everything you think you know about nothing is going to be swept away."

Mac enthusiasts are eager to be among the first to have an iNull, despite the inherent philosophical difficulties in "having" one. "I can't wait!" blurted one blogger, "Apple has once again shown how they 'think different'. In a world of gadgets, doodads and useless techno-gimmickry, they've brought forth something of unrivaled simplicity and elegance. Way to go!"

From a business perspective, the profit potential is limitless -- the iNull will have the lowest production cost of any Apple product to date, requiring no manufacturing, shipping, or inventory, although there will be a "significant" marketing campaign. Of the $499 price tag, Apple is expected to reap the lion's share as pure profit, with an unspecified percentage paid out as a licensing fee to the Sartre estate.

The reason is marketing

[LotsOfPhil (982823)]

So the link is "iphone-line-forms-at-apples-flagship-for-absolutely-no-reason." It seems quite obvious that the reason is marketing. Same as when there were lines at Apple stores selling iphones but not at AT&T stores selling iphones.

It's back!

[fstolze (1229222)]

People lining up in front of stores in the hope that maybe there will be something for sale that they are after - sounds like the Soviet Union to me!

Re:It's back!

[flyingsquid (813711)]

People lining up in front of stores in the hope that maybe there will be something for sale that they are after - sounds like the Soviet Union to me!

I once visited the Apple campus at 1 Infinite Loop, Cupertino. There was a big open, quadrangular courtyard. Each side of the quadrangle had a huge banner, like 20 feet tall, displaying an Apple product: there was a iBook, a PowerBook, an iMac, and a Power Mac. The huge banners made me think of something the Soviets might have put up to glorify Stalin and Lenin at Red Square to celebrate the revolution. And certainly, Steve Jobs is a bit like Stalin or Kim Jong Il in creating a cult of personality, and you could argue that his product announcements are like the Communist Party rallies held in the USSR, China, or North Korea.

Obviously there are limits to such an analogy. I don't imagine Apple-manufactured tanks, made of polycarbonate and brushed alumninum rolling into Eastern Europe. And I don't imagine Apple getting the bomb, or starving millions of people to death, or locking PC users into re-education camps where they are taught how to use a mouse with a single button. Still, the way Jobs and Apple appeal to people is oddly similar to the way totalitarian regimes do.

Re:It's back!

[argent (18001)]

I don't imagine Apple-manufactured tanks, made of polycarbonate and brushed alumninum rolling into Eastern Europe.

They never do, not until it's too late.

Re:It's back!

[geekoid (135745)]

But they would be some sweet looking tanks.

Re:It's back!

[dotancohen (1015143)]

Apple could market all of these pretty easily: iTank, iBomb, iStarvation & iCamp.

Ah, but before you get that far you must go through BootCamp.

Apple and the French

[argent (18001)]

Let's see.

The French invented the modern tank in WWI, based on an original idea by the British.
Apple invented the modern WIMP UI in 1981/82, based on an original design by Xerox.

The French didn't really improve their tank after WWI, and were totally taken by surprise by German tank warfare.
Apple didn't really improve their OS after the '80s, and were totally taken by surprise by Microsoft Windows 95.

Yeh, sounds right.

Re:It's back!

[stableos (452115)]

Anyone wanna come stand in the Zune line with me?

Re:It's back!

[porky_pig_jr (129948)]

Yes, I've thought of that as well. Except in Soviet Union people didn't line up in hope that may be there will be something for sale they are after. They lined up in hope that there may be something for sale *at all*, not necessarily they are after, but may be something decent, and if they don't need it they can sell it. Lived in Moscow in 70s, know that phenomena quite well.

And verily, Our Lord Jobs Did Come Unto Them

[by Anonymous Coward]

And the Lord Jobs did address the faithfully assembled masses, saying "Unto you my loyal supplicants I do bestow the bounty of the 3G iPhone, that ye may use it at all times, and in sickness, and in health, and in times of pestilence and low bandwidth, and it shall comfort thee."

And then did the Lord Jobs hand out the Holy 3G iPhone unto the chosen who harkened unto him, and it was good.

Improv Everywhere?

[Bryansix (761547)]

Maybe it's the same people who pulled off this stunt? http://improveverywhere.com/2006/04/23/best-buy/ [improveverywhere.com]

Re:Improv Everywhere?

[notNeilCasey (521896)]

It's not IE. Charlie Todd, the founder of Improv Everywhere, says so on his Blog [mrcharlietodd.com]

For the record, Improv Everywhere has nothing to do with this. Though I do love that we're now the go-to guess for anything out of the ordinary!

Apple's newest product...

[hyperz69 (1226464)]

The ILine :)

Re:Apple's newest product...

[UnknowingFool (672806)]

Of course, Apple follows it up at the nearest school: The iLine mini.

Maybe they're British

[Black Art (3335)]

Are they moaning as well?

Nothing that the British like more than moaning and queuing.

Re:Maybe they're British

[ettlz (639203)]

In fact, we're go fucking good at it, we can form a queue with just one person!

What's worse?

[objekt (232270)]

The fact that they line up for nothing, making them little more than a flash mob...

OR

That this story gets media attention at all and has anti-macheads all in a sweat shouting "sheeple!" and trying to put various political/religious/fanboi spins on the story?

Meanwhile, at the Sony Style Store...

[techsoldaten (309296)]

Meanwhile, at the Sony Style store, 5 blocks away, the glow of HDTVs illuminated the vapid faces of salespeople in tshirts as they stared across the racks over empty aisles. Aisles of laptops, PS3s, CDs and other items went unpurchased, and no one was there to see it.

Brand name computer stores are the outlet for those too weak to resist the urge to make impulse purchases in excess of a month's income. The fact Apple has been able to capitalize on this trend so well speaks to the fetishistic appeal of those shiny laptops and the absence of any real value in their products. Convinced the worth of something that is not even there, people are literally waiting in line to buy nothing.

Truly, they are the dead.

M

Obligatory Borg Comment

[by Anonymous Coward]

I've never seen people waiting outside of a cube to be assimilated!

Apple marketers must be laughing

[hairykrishna (740240)]

I mean; when people to queue up to buy something when they're not even sure what it IS that's a whole new level of success.

They got a shipment of iPhones in (link)

[6350' (936630)]

http://dvice.com/archives/2008/05/mystery_lineup.php [dvice.com]

"By the time we got there, the lineup was gone, but a couple of helpful Apple blueshirts told us what was what: It turns out that the lineup wasn't for the widely -- and wildly -- rumored 3G iPhone. The store got a shipment of current iPhones this morning, apparently a rare occurrence these days, and when word got out, some touchscreen-hungry folks got in line to snatch up the few that came in."

Re:Ah, the wonderful, screaming world of retail.

[snl2587 (1177409)]

Oh well, good for Apple - they can't make computers fast enough for demand. That's really what this is about and they deserve the marketshare.

I think that's up for debate, and really, this is most likely a social prank, not a mass gathering to encourage Apple to speed up production of the i[newest-product-name-goes-here].

Re:Ah, the wonderful, screaming world of retail.

[mollymoo (202721)]

I've never noticed twitter's trolling, assuming it exists. I have noticed the constant barrage of "you're a twitter sockpuppet", which is the only way I ever really notice the posts in question. So if twitter is trolling, they're not so trollish that they stand out above the background noise (I read at -1, so there's a fair bit of background noise). So, can you please shut the fuck up and stop polluting Slashdot with your whining? If I was a troll I'd have great admiration for twitter - they have succeeded where most fail in that every one of their posts gets numerous "stop trolling", "you're a twitter sockpuppet" replies. It's you and your ilk who need to stop feeding the trolls.

Re:Ah, the wonderful, screaming world of retail.

[by Anonymous Coward]

Twitter, you need to learn the basic rules of social interaction.

That Apple employee did NOT care about your stupid canned lecture about Free Software(tm).

They didn't demonstrate setting up dual-booting with Windows, not because there's a vast corporate conspiracy against Free Software(tm), but because the display was already set up with all the steps laid out, and the employee wasn't going to spend 3 hours of a workday setting up Free Software(tm) for the sole purpose of demonstrating software that works the same with any 2nd OS.

The employees didn't like you, not because they're part of a vast corporate conspiracy against Free Software(tm), but because you went to an Apple store for the sole purpose of harassing employees about information you could have obtained much more easily with Google, JUST so you could give an absolutely retarded canned lecture about Free Software(tm) to an employee who didn't give a shit at all.

They kicked you out because you were acting like an obnoxious prick, not because you were asking too much about free software and/or you were embarrassing them with your superior knowledge of software and/or they were ignorant or forbidden to tell what they knew. In the future, just shut the fuck up, 'kay?

Twitter

[twatt3r (1284850)]

"Hi, I'm Twitter! I refer to my^H^Hhimself in the third person! I bother a busy store about products they don't support! I have a journal!"

Re:Ah, the wonderful, screaming world of retail.

[dedazo (737510)]

Actually twitter, this last December I got the chance to go to an Apple store for the first time while on a trip to San Francisco [apple.com]. My sister was looking for educational games for her three kids to run on her Mac, so I said what the heck and went with her.

As far as the retail experience goes, coming from the gritty do-it-yourself-BestBuy-or-bust PC white/beige box world where I see computers as tools rather than post-modernist plastic sculptures to gawk at, I have to say I was rather pleasantly surprised. I half expected these guys (Geniuses?) to be no better than the ignorant, pushy pimply teenagers at BestBuy or the Gateway Country Stores (R.I.P.), but that was certainly not the case. I mean I didn't walk out of there with a hard on or anything like that, but Apple certainly has the "don't worry about anything, just give us your money and you'll be OK" approach completely figured out.

The thing that got my attention was the number of kids playing with the Macs on display, and the number of older people browsing around. I'm not sure what gives, but it's like the store atmosphere sort of encourages people to sit down, try things out and ask lots of questions. Inevitably I suppose this takes care of the other thing, which is to sell the boxes.

I can't say that I'm anything other than a die-hard Windows (with sprinklings of BSD and Linux) user, and I really wouldn't want or know what to do with a Mac. But at the expense of sounding a little fanboyish, the Apple store is very cool.

I think anyone with just a few working brain cells can figure out the real reasons for your lame little account of the terrible things suffered at the hands of these evil people. If I happened to be in the shoes of that ogre of a manager that "screamed" at you, I would have taken your picture and put up a website with an account of what really happened (one can only imagine your demeanor and shudder), along with a recommendation of how not to "evangelize" free software.

As always, you end up doing more harm than good - sockpuppets or not.

Re:Posts, barriers, and security on hand

[dotancohen (1015143)]

It's a glass cube in the middle of Manhattan. They probably have the guards to keep people from throwing Zunes through the damn store.

The tech crowd prefers to throw chairs, from what I've heard.