Bone In The Throat

Yeah I’m a glutton for punishment. Android malfunctioning chronically, I can’t really wait any longer.

So here I am in line again they claim they still have what I want.

It will be a close thing…

Fingers crossed.

I’ve been trying to think of any way to avoid this but I need a phone. I’m not really looking forward to the expense. <sigh>

Moreover, I’m not terribly thrilled at standing in line yet again.

The hell of it is I know what I want. I’m on a good no contract plan with my carrier and it’s a slam dunk transaction.

Been listening to the rumors and comments being made by the Apple employees. Apparently, part of this long wait is being caused by people that want a new phone, but that haven’t paid their bill.

Before the phone transaction can occur the Apple employee is having to sort out the customers billing and contractual issues.

To that all I can say is really? 

You’re so hot to trot to get a new phone that you’ve not paid the bill? Which begs the question… 

Can you afford a new bright shiny phone in the first place? How about going to the phone store and buying something that’s cheaper and more in line with your obvious budget constraints?

Then there are the folks from Hong Kong, or mainland China…

“You oh ah got unlocked phone? I want unlocked phone. ohh no unlocked phone? Ohhhh.“

Basically these folks are here to buy as many unlocked iPhone 5s units as they can in hopes that that will make big profits when they go home with their American booty.

While I was standing there in line from 4:20 to 6:00 before I got in the store, yes in the line pictured above, I saw at least 10 Chinese tourists trying to get into the store to buy unlocked phones which technically Apple isn’t selling yet.

Good for me, that the all the tourists weren’t doing their homework. Technically there are “unlocked” phones available. I bought one. It’s sitting happily on my desk beside my computer as I type this.

I started this blog entry while I was in line. I had my iPad and was hitting the Apple WiFi pretty easily once I rounded the corner of the building.

By the time I got to the door I was going crazy. They had limited quantities of what I needed and there were a lot of folks in the store who were doing “in store” pickups. I just knew with my luck that I’d get inside the store only to have a helpful Apple representative tell me “Sorry, we just sold the last one”

It’s my luck.

But, no. The helpful guy introduced himself and took me into the store. As we walked, I was rattling off the unit, options, and case preferences. That’s when he stopped and I thought “uh oh, here it comes”.

“Man, sorry we don’t have…” 

I was crushed and momentarily started to turn around to leave.

“…That color case.”

My brain reprocessed the information a couple of times.

Crosscheck…

Analyze. Global linguistic analysis routines running.

Confirmed.

Accessing sarcasm database… No sarcasm detected.

————————————————–

Implication… Device in question is still available. 

Conclusion – Case color choice irrelevant, priority is hardware …

Yeah, my internal systems are weird…

“It’s just the case you’re out of?” I ask incredulously.

“Yep, sorry we don’t have black in stock.” He replied with a genuinely apologetic look on his face.

“Screw the case!” I said

He just smiled… ” Come this way, here are the cases we do have in stock.

Remember that if the case says it will fit an iPhone 5 it will also work for the 5s.

I’m going in the back to get the phone for you. I’ll be right back.”

Then he was gone and I was looking at a bewildering array of cases, some of which I was too short to reach.

A few moments later he was back. A shiny white box in hand that said iPhone 5s written in black on the side. I pointed to the case I couldn’t reach and asked for help. He grabbed the case and suggested that we go to a quieter location he’d scoped out.

A few questions, scans, & card swipes later and we’re unboxing my new phone. 

He leads me through the power-up sequence and I’m answering the questions the phone is asking. 

Then he realizes I’m coming from an Android and grimaces.

“Do you know the login and password for your gmail account?”

“Yes, but there will be no need for that. I spent last Thursday transferring my contacts and calendar to iCloud and verified the transfer here on my iPad.”

He grinned a big grin.

“Great! That will make this easy.”

“I know, I had a plan. The intention was to have a phone on Friday but after standing in line twice I was left in the cold.”

He smiled, “That was a madhouse wasn’t it?”

“Yep. Ahh there are my contacts. Glad I remembered to turn on the WiFi.”

We stood there waiting for the remaining information to come in via the cloud and my new phone churned away happily digesting the information.

At 6:17pm I made a call to make sure that the phone was capable of it’s primary function.

By 6:22pm I was walking to the door with my happy, helpful Apple representative and my bag / badge of honor.

So today it’s about the phone, getting all the fiddly bits of software loaded that I’ll use. Some software I’ll want on the iPad exclusively and others I’ll want only on the phone, still others will be on  both devices.

But… and this is probably most important. I’ll be able to talk on the phone and even answer incoming calls. Wow! what a concept!

The case?

I chose a baby blue Apple case.

Alright, you can call me a moron. It’s OK.

Today was the release of the new Apple iPhone 5S. Apple stores opened at 8am as opposed to their usual 10am. I arrived at 8:20am to my local Apple store and joined a line of people that stretched from the door of the store, around behind the building, then wrapped down another building and spilled out onto another sidewalk adjacent to yet another store.

Hummm. This does not bode well. Of course I completely forgot to take pictures. And once you’re in line… you don’t want to exit the line for fear that you’ll be send to the back of the line again.

Waiting, & Waiting. Finally I get to the door and they tell me that they don’t have any phones for my carrier Damn! Additionally the helpful store person tell me I can’t go in the store right now because today it’s all about the iPhone. Double Damn! A very nice lady nudged me and said “Come in with me” 

So I’m in the store, and the iPhones are very cool. The 5s is gorgeous and the 5c phones are solid and feel good in the hand. I’d feared that they’d be cheap feeling.

I enjoyed the chance to actually feel the weight of the phones in my hand. OS7, I’m becoming familiar with. It works well and is fast and smooth.

Then I hear one of the employees mention a second shipment coming in just a little after noon. Another shipment? Hummmm.  It’s 10:45 I could go take a walk, then grab a bite to eat, then stakeout the Apple store.

I was sitting outside the Apple store editing my contacts, transferring them to iCloud and away from Google. I’m doing the same thing with my calendar and dialing down the Google interactions.

I look up and notice that there is activity at the side of the Apple store and a new line is forming. I put away my editing and go take my place in the 2nd line of the day.

Why was I being so tenacious? Well….

This morning my existing phone was flakier than usual in that I was on an active call and it suddenly decided to start randomly dialing other contacts. Thankfully those calls were simply beeps in my ear instead of actually dialing contacts. I have to power the phone down to make that stop. 

The existing phone is simply telling me that it’s time to replace it. I noticed a lot of folks in line were trading in phones that were 2 and 3 years old.

Another hour in line… hour 2, the Apple folks start us moving again. (I have to say Apple was really nice. They were providing water and iced tea to those of us waiting outside the store. I thought it was a nice touch.)

I get to the gatekeeper. “I want a phone of thus & such specifications for Carrier X.”

The lady looks at me sadly. “We didn’t get anything for that carrier in this second shipment. I’m so sorry.”

Sigh.

Broken hearted I trudge away. Rejected twice in one day!

No phone for you!

Now in addition to saying that I’ve stood in line for the grand opening of an Apple Store. I can also say I’ve stood in line for a new iPhone, on the first day it was available.

Oh and by the way…

It’s not something I’m likely to do anytime in the future.

I should mention that where I was, the crowd was very nice and there were no fights. Unlike the Pasadena Apple Store where arrests were made.

I’ll wait until Tuesday next week to try again. I’m not holding my breath.

To those of you who may attempt to call me… Don’t hold your breath! I honestly don’t know whats wrong with my Android and I’m past caring. As the phone has become less and less reliable I’m carrying it less and less. Quite often lately I’ve left it completely behind as I took off to run errands. Why carry something that only works some of the time?

Even as I type this, the phone is muttering to itself. saying it’s receiving email or text messages that it is not. 

By the way… The iPhone 5s color “Space Gray” is Gun Metal gray and it looks great.