Friday, July 11, 2008

Frantic Friday

Today is iPhone day. Not just here, but in most of the world with the launch of the new iPhone 3G model. It's so exciting. The atmosphere in Denmark borders hysteria as this new 3G wonder is the first we've ever seen of the iPhone on these shores. It's a little much though, it is afterall just an Apple product.

I knew there would be excitement about the iPhone and I thought I was prepared. I mean a launch party in the city centre would satisfy the fanatics and that would be the end of it. So I had planned my day carefully. Leave at 2pm so I could snag one on the way home and hurrah! iPhone goodness!
I still wasn't worried as I walked by the Telia store at the central train station this morning at 8am. 10 fanatics in line, oh well. When I checked the Telia webshop later and it was severely lagging I didn't think much of it. Could be anything right?

So at 2pm I left work, took a bus to a mall I've never been to before because who drives to the sticks to get an iPhone at 2pm on a Friday? Well, I arrived at the mall. Spent a good 15 minutes locating the shop and could see there was no line. I almost skipped/ran to the shop feeling the excitement I haven't felt since I was about 8 and got the TV-studio for my Barbie dolls. There was nobody in the shop. No line at all. Yay!

Then I was met by a rather cute looking assistant who on closer inspection was completely cross eyed. He informed me that sadly the iPhone was sold out. When asked if he thought they might have it in the city he chuckled a little and said "I doubt so". I frowned, glared at him for a bit and declined signing a waitlist. IT'S A PHONE FOR GODS SAKE! IT'S NOT A BALENCIAGA BAG!

Well off I went to the rest of the Telia shops in Copenhagen, where I got the same treatment. How many iPhones did they have in each shop, 10? I mean really, this is insane. So I got home, logged onto their webshop and the 16GB version is sold out. Both the black and the white model. You can't even order the next available one.

What really gets me is this. The 16GB model costs approx. £200 plus you need to tie yourself to Telia for 6 months paying £60 each month for a shoddy (at best) contract and people are lining the streets to get it. It's absolutely insane. Nothing less.

I partly wanted the iPhone because it was pretty expensive compared to other phones and that would mean that not a lot of people bought it. Now that I have to practically beg them to take my £200 plus hand over £60 each month for 6 months to use it, I'm not so sure I want it. Well I do, almost more than ever. But that's neither here nor there, right?

10 comments:

  1. They're still lined up around the block here.

    Some people camped overnight on the sidewalk.

    They did a country-by-country price comparison chart and Canada ranks as one of the worst for all the additional charges.

    When someone is cross-eyed, I don't know which eye to look at, do you?

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  2. It's a sign. Don't get one, don't pander to stupid Apple and don't waste your money.

    Get one of the other brands far more exclusive and better looking phones. Pretty much all touch screen internetty phones are more stylish than the Crapple one.

    Plus, if you get an Apple one, someone will steal it.

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  3. MJ: I have no idea. Actually I just glared in his general direction. Staring him down would have been too painful for me.

    IDV: You know, I hate to say it but the new iPhone is far superiour to any of the others on the market now. Even though the iPhone is very expensive. Still not expensive enough to keep the riff raff away.

    I'll have to think long and hard about it.

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  4. Can they at least act a teensy bit sorry for you when they tell you they're sold out? I got the same attitude back when I was looking for a Nintendo Wii. Some clerks did actually look sorry, others pretty much laughed in my face.

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  5. Oh and you've been tagged!

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  6. Yes it's just so rude.

    Plus at least they could throw in a "have a good weekend" or "have a nice day". To be police.

    Had they sold the iPhone somewhere else I would totally not buy it from Telia.

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  7. Actually, yes, they pretty much did only have about 10 per store. I know someone who was tenth in line at an O2 store here and he got the last 16gb one - and he said some of the people in front of him had been buying the 8gb version.

    I'm downloading the 2.0 software now *exciting!* iPhone Super Monkey Ball for me tonight!!

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  8. as long as you are happy...it matters not what the bill is...

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  9. I can't afford and iphone, that puts paid to that for me. I think they are coming out here soon too.

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  10. Tara: I'll get on it. Thanks for tagging me. It's a fun one!

    Sparkly Tim: That's just rubbish!

    Why couldn't they get enough to at least cover ONE day. It would be totally fine if I wandered in today 10 to closing asking for one.

    Daisy: You are right, but I don't think my contact at my bank agrees.

    T-Birdy: They are really expensive. Especially here as the phone companies are only allowed to tie you down for 6 months. Unlike pretty much everywhere else.

    I saw on the news that some weirdo in New Zealand was first in line and was ever excited to maybe be the first person in the world to get the new iPhone. Weird that.

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