<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"I left my apartment at 1:53 a.m. Friday and arrived at the Fifth Avenue Apple Store at around 2:20 a.m. Six hours later, I had an iPhone 5 in my possession.\nWhen the original iPhone was released in 2007, the public was shocked that individuals were willing to wait for hours in line \u2014 often overnight and sometimes for several days \u2014 just to get a new gadget.\nFive years (and six phone launches) later, the lines are an expectation \u2014 even if the public at large still finds the concept of waiting overnight for a phone ridiculous.\nStill, each year, more and more individuals line up for the latest iPhone (and now iPad). In fact, a sort of cottage industry has developed around Apple launches, with marketers and brands using the lines as way to promote their products and services.\nI'm not a stranger to waiting in line for an Apple product. In 2010, I waited in line for seven hours to get the iPhone 4 \u2014 and that was after reserving a unit online. I've also done line duty for the iPad, iPad 2 and the new iPad (AKA, the iPad 3). Still, this year was special for me because it was the first time I waited in line at Apple's flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York City. \nDoing the Apple Launch, NYC Style\nMy plan was to get in line around by 2:30 a.m. \u2014 in order to get a phone relatively quickly. After a few hours of sleep, I left my apartment in Brooklyn and took an Uber car to midtown.\nWhen I arrived at 2:20 a.m., the plaza surrounding the Apple store was almost completely full. The Apple store created a snaking line out of separation gates \u2014 think of the type you weave through at the airport before going through security \u2014 and I managed to snag a spot in one of the last rows.\n\nApple Store 5th Avenue at 2:26am. #iPhone5 #NewiPhoneDay twitter.com/film_girl/stat\u2026\n\u2014 Christina Warren (@film_girl) September 21, 2012\n\nI chose a good time to arrive. The people a row in front of me had arrived around midnight \u2014 meaning I saved myself the hassle of waiting longer than necessary. By 6:00 a.m., the line had stretched far past the plaza and around the block to Madison Avenue. \nI spent some time talking to some of the other individuals in line. For some, it was their first Apple launch, but others were well-worn veterans. Nearly everyone in my part of the line had at least one Apple product on their person. The guys in front of me sat on the ground, watching YouTube videos on their MacBook Pro computers, taking advantage of Apple's free Wi-Fi.\nOthers had iPhones and iPads and used Facebook, Twitter and Instagram while chatting in line. I volunteered to let one new line buddy charge his iPhone off of my MacBook Air battery \u2014 at 3:00 a.m., he was down to less than 30% of juice \u2014 not enough to get through the next five hours.\n\nThe free Wi-Fi makes the experience much better. Going to sit back and watch some Hulu or Netflix on the iPad :)\n\u2014 Christina Warren (@film_girl) September 21, 2012\n\nActs of Kindness and Camaraderie\nThis was my first outdoor Apple line and I have to admit \u2014 I didn't come prepared. I didn't bring a chair with me like many individuals did \u2014 nor had I stocked up on snacks and drinks. Stupidly, I even left my house without a jacket, not taking the wind into account.\nAround 4:00 a.m., as I sat on the ground, shivering and watching Hulu on my iPad, a fellow line mate offered me the ultimate act of kindness. He gave me his sweater to wear. For the next four hours, I was warm thanks to this young man.\nEric, a student, is originally from Turkey and has lived in New York for the last year and a half. He got the iPhone 4S, but sent it back to Turkey. He was in line for the iPhone 5 to replace his aging BlackBerry on another carrier.\nFirst awesome line moment. Random guy saw me shivering, fave me his sweater. Thanks Eric!\u2014 Christina Warren (@film_girl) September 21, 2012\nThere were other acts of kindness in the line too. Groups saved spots, volunteered to go on coffee and food runs \u2014 and generally kept the energy positive.\nIt turns out, the camaraderie is one of the reasons people choose to wait in line to begin with. \"Where else in New York City, in this day and age, can you have a conversation with a stranger,\" one young woman stated. It's a good point. The Apple line brings together lots of different people from lots of different backgrounds. In the enclosed space of a line \u2014 bonded by the love for technology and Apple \u2014 people who might not otherwise speak get to know one another.\n\"The Apple line could be a great subject for social research,\" said Isaiah New. New is a junior at Columbia University \u2014 where he is double-majoring in sociology and biology. He lost his iPhone 4S two weeks ago. So for him, getting the iPhone 5 wasn't just about getting the latest gadget \u2014 it was also about necessity. He enjoyed being in line, even if it did cause his friends to accuse him of being a \"perpetrator of capitalist thought.\"\nGetting the Phone\nPerhaps the most surprising aspect of the line \u2014 at least for me \u2014 was how quickly the time seemed to pass. Around 6:15 a.m., the sun started to come up.\nApple employees scurried to remove the black tarp that had covered the glass enclosure surrounding the Apple Store (the store was hidden while it was closed in preparation for the iPhone 5).\nApple staffers came through the line and handed us claim tickets \u2014 guaranteeing us a phone. Individuals could get up to two phones \u2014 and many did \u2014 either buying an extra for a family member or eyeing a quick resale.\n\nI've got a golden ticket!! #iphone5@ Apple Store instagr.am/p/P1WSRNOiFF/\n\u2014 Christina Warren (@film_girl) September 21, 2012\n\nBy this time, more \"normal\" patrons started showing up and getting in line, which by now, stretched past Madison Avenue.\nJust before 8:00 a.m., Apple employees started chanting before counting down for the opening bell. Those that were first in line paraded across the plaza and down the stairs, ready to take possession of their new toys.\nFor me, it would be another 20 minutes before I got into the store itself \u2014 significantly less time than I had expected. Had I not had to port my number from AT&amp;T to Verizon (running into issues with AT&amp;T's servers on the way that required a manual override from an automated Verizon phone number), I probably would have been out of the store in under ten minutes.\n\nRounding the corner and about to go in!!\n\u2014 Christina Warren (@film_girl) September 21, 2012\n\nA subway ride back to the office \u2014 and here I am.\nWas It Worth It?\nThe new phone is excellent \u2014 though I've struggled with getting my favorite apps downloaded (I think Apple's App Store servers are strained, as they seem to be delivering downloads much slower than usual) \u2014 but I won't really get to play with it until later tonight.\nThe big question is, \"was it worth it?\" Yes. And not just because I got an iPhone 5 today \u2014 instead of having to wait a few weeks for my carrier or Apple to ship me a device. It's really about the experience.\n\nThe new iPhone! ZOMG. Have spent the first two hours with the phone taking photos of it rather than with it. In love.\n\u2014 Christina Warren (@film_girl) September 21, 2012\n\nThe experience made its mark: The strangers I met \u2014 the people watching I got to observe \u2014 and the odd, communal moments of being outside of a store at 4:00 a.m. in the best city in the world, all because of a new phone. I'm tired, sure. But I have my phone, and I have memories.\nThat said, I don't know if I would do this again \u2014 but ask me again in a year. I'll probably be back.\n      window._msla=window.loadScriptAsync||function(src,id){if(document.getElementById(id))return;var js=document.createElement('script');js.id=id;js.src=src;document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0].parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);};\n_msla(\"//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\",\"twitter_jssdk\");"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2012/09/21/iphone-5-line-nyc/>