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People around the world, and here in Salt Lake City, camped out for hours to snatch up one of Apple's new iPhones.
More than 100 people lined up outside the Apple Store at the Gateway to get their hands on the latest high-tech gadget.
"It's kind of an adolescent desire to have a really cool thing first," said iPhone fan Ryan Hatch.
The original iPhone created quite a buzz, and there's excitement for the new iPhone 3G. It has several upgrades over last year's model, and at $200, it's also less than half the price.
"It's everything we kind of wanted in the first iPhone, just improved upon. It looks cooler, looks better. [It's] kind of a status symbol," said iPhone fan Cody Reese.
People started lining up at the Apple Store yesterday afternoon. Many were here for the fun, others just wanted to make sure they got one.
By 4 a.m., 75 people were camped out in line. Many of them were logged on with their MacBook Pros watching movies, surfing the Web and doing work.
Some in line had last year's model, or recently sold it. But the iPhone 3G speeds up Internet access and adds a navigation chip.
"I use it for work a lot. I think there's just not anything out there that's the same. A lot of stuff that does similar stuff, parts of it are in other places. There's not anywhere you can get everything. It's got all in one place," iPhone fan John Evans said.
Once in the store, the customers seemed very pleased as they pulled the new gadgets out the boxes and started to play. "It's more than just a phone, it's an experience, it's a lifestyle," iPhone fan Todd Glazier said.
Jim Blair, also an iPhone fan and customer this morning, said, "[I like] mainly the Internet; [it's] twice as fast, and there's a few other things that, features on the phone that I want to use: GPS on the maps. I just like new Apple products. I'm kind of hooked."
We heard that a lot. It's almost a cultish kind of loyalty to iPhone and Apple. One guy told us the user experience Apple creates can not be beat. Once you use an iPhone, you can't go back.
There are obviously plenty of dedicated customers, but does the store have enough phones for all of them? "Really, I have no information on stock. I know the people coming in here now are getting their phones. As you can hear from the crowd, they're walking out really happy," said Apple Store business partner Douglas Learner.
Meanwhile, the AP was reporting this morning that there was a global problem with Apple Inc.'s iTunes software that prevented the phones from being fully activated in-store, as had been planned. Click Here for more on that story.
E-mail: jboal@ksl.com
E-mail: mrichards@ksl.com
