iPhone Crowd Control
So, any of you as hyped up and anxious to get their hands on a iPhone as I am? Well, if you're reading this I'm guessing you probably are. For those of you who are counting the moments until that sleek, shiny block of touch-screen goodness is actually in your hands, I have a word of warning for you -- especially if you intend to line up early and be the first kid on your block to have a new iPhone. This warning comes via the safety-minded folks over at the Boy Genius Report wherein they feature a document from "official" channels at AT&T which outlines how retail store managers are to handle the teeming masses who will no doubt be lining up early for the device come June 29th.
Among the methods featured in the document to help ease the situation and control the crowd, is an outline of a mock conversation where AT&T store managers explain to the stores near them why they need to stay open late and what steps they will be taking to help ensure the crowds don't spill into the surrounding stores and do all kinda damage. The document also reveals the super-secret method that will actually accomplish this miraculous controlling of the crowd. What is this miracle you may wonder? Stanchions. Yes, the proverbial "velvet rope" they use to keep people in line at events across America will be standing guard and providing security for the giant iPhone launch event.
Having been at a few Apple retail store events and openings (including the first one at the Glendale Galleria) I can attest to the fact that when Apple does almost anything, crowds of devoted users do show up -- and in really big numbers. For something like the iPhone, which really isn't just for Mac people but for anyone interested in a cool new device, I can only imagine how big the crowds are going to be. Reading this document doesn't really fill me with confidence that AT&T really has a complete grasp of what they're getting into here. I hope they do because we sure don't want a repeat of the iBook debacle from a couple years ago. So, just so I can get a rough count and maybe help AT&T realize the scope of this launch, how many of you are planning to line up early for an iPhone?
