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Apple Idle

The iPhone 5S Hasn't Been Officially Announced, Already Has Line 181

Posted by samzenpus from the but-I-want-it-now dept.
Daniel_Stuckey writes "The iPhone 5S line has already begun, despite Apple not even having made its announcement yet. From the looks of the invite to the unveiling in San Francisco on Sept. 10 (and another event the following day in Beijing, where iPhones are all the rage), the company will not only be announcing a next generation iPhone, the 5S, but also the lower-priced 5C model, in a variety of cheaper-looking colors."
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The iPhone 5S Hasn't Been Officially Announced, Already Has Line More

The iPhone 5S Hasn't Been Officially Announced, Already Has Line

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  • reality show rejects (Score:5, Insightful)

    by jaymz666 ( 34050 ) on Monday September 09, 2013 @01:26PM (#44799643)

    At this point, the only reason to line up for an iDevice is to get on TV. This is not different to survivor or Big Brother.

    • Re:reality show rejects (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 09, 2013 @01:33PM (#44799769)

      This is not different to survivor or Big Brother.

      Sure it is. All you can win on line at Apple is an iPhone. And by "win" I mean pay the same amount as anybody else.

      • Re:reality show rejects (Score:5, Funny)

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 09, 2013 @01:51PM (#44800051)

        You can win an iPhone online? Sounds like a scam.

        • Re:reality show rejects (Score:4, Funny)

          by 93 Escort Wagon ( 326346 ) on Monday September 09, 2013 @01:59PM (#44800161)

          Those QuBids ads I keep getting in my spam folder tell me I can get an iPad or iPhone for only $8! It's so crazy it has to be true!

      • Re:reality show rejects (Score:5, Informative)

        by SydShamino ( 547793 ) on Monday September 09, 2013 @03:08PM (#44801171)

        Sure it is. All you can win on line at Apple is an iPhone. And by "win" I mean pay the same amount as anybody else.

        Actually, per TFA the first two people in line have been "bought out" by a third-party Apple reseller, and now sport the company's logo on their shirts, and, in exchange, will now have their phones (plural, two each) paid for by the company.

        So... yeah, they won the advertising game and now get their phones for free.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by jaymz666 ( 34050 )

          I'm not sure however many days they wait in line is worth that

          BTW, TFA was unreadable when I first came to this story... the site was slashdotted

        • Re: (Score:3)

          by AmiMoJo ( 196126 ) *

          "Free" as in "have to stand in line for days".

          • Well, yeah, I'm already assuming that they consider their time worthless since they were in line not knowing their phones would be paid for. =P

            Maybe sitting on a street in New York is their idea of an ideal vacation, similar to other people sitting on a beach somewhere somehow not bored to death.

    • Maybe they just like to ride the line ride.

    • At least with survivor and big brother there is a small chance that you can win some $

      And, depending on how adventureous you are, they are a "free" vacation at the least...

    • Re:reality show rejects (Score:4, Insightful)

      by ackthpt ( 218170 ) on Monday September 09, 2013 @01:38PM (#44799843) Homepage Journal

      At this point, the only reason to line up for an iDevice is to get on TV. This is not different to survivor or Big Brother.

      In my line of work we take a dim view of being on the bleeding edge of technology. These people are not simply embracing it, but doing so for their own personal reasons i.e. Be first on the block to have one (which is a damn silly thing to do with a considerable investment, which most iPhones are.)

      I was burned on a new car model years ago so I sit back and wait to see how things turn out before committing my own hard won dollars (and even then, as I'm a pre-paid customer, I buy the handset outright.)

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by afidel ( 530433 )

        On cars you never buy the first year of a redesign or new model unless you're a glutton for punishment or you're doing an expensive lease that includes free loaner coverage for maintenance and recalls. It doesn't really depend on the manufacturer either since almost all of them outsource a large percentage of their subassemblies to outside manufacturers.

      • Re:reality show rejects (Score:5, Interesting)

        by tipo159 ( 1151047 ) on Monday September 09, 2013 @01:57PM (#44800147)

        Well, your one bad experience buying a new model car years ago should certainly keep us all away from buying new items at launch ...

        I have had a lot of first model year cars and I have found them to be no more likely to have issues than subsequent model years. Actually, of the cars that I collect, I usually prefer first model year cars because they usually have quirky or interesting features that are dropped because they were judged not popular enough or cost-reduced out.

        I have a first generation iPad and iPod touch from the initial launches of both products. Other than Apple abandoning iOS support for the products (and recently the battery on the iPod touch), I have had no issues with them.

        But, if the rumors hold true, the products that Apple will launch tomorrow are going to evolutions (or devolutions) of products that have been out for years, not truly new products, so I don't understand how your point applies.

        • Re:reality show rejects (Score:4, Informative)

          by ackthpt ( 218170 ) on Monday September 09, 2013 @02:18PM (#44800413) Homepage Journal

          I'm familiar with the First Year Collector thing, but I doubt there are any collectors items among iPhones, which tend to sell quite a lot of the exact same model on the first day, before the hue and cry over defects or such result in an adjustment in production.

          Cars may or may not sell a lot on first issue and generally going out and buying will result in some unhappy experiences, though your experience may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, some being much better at rolling out a truly finished product and others rushing out a model which will have a laundry list of recalls.

          My car was such a dud it wasn't made for many years and resulted in one of the greatest financial setbacks for the manufacturer. The engineers did a fine job designing it, the assembly line did a terrific job of putting it together, but the bean-counters who sourced the parts and figured ways to shave costs doomed it. If they had gone with the original engineers plans it would have been a hit and my car would have been worth a small fortune for being very early off the production line.

          It's a much better position to be in to watch how a new car rolls out and is met by the market. A successful launch of a quality car may mean you have to pay a little of a premium to get one of the early batch, but you avoid getting burned.

          Regarding antenna issues, battery heating up issues, other shortcomings of Apples rather trendsetting iPhones should by now curb some enthusiasm for the wary. Fool me once, shame on you - fool me twice, shame on me sorta fing.

          • Re:reality show rejects (Score:5, Funny)

            by geekoid ( 135745 ) <dadinportlandNO@SPAMyahoo.com> on Monday September 09, 2013 @02:27PM (#44800519) Homepage Journal

            How long do you have that Edsel?

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by Necroman ( 61604 )

            Just wondering, when did you have that car experience and what model was it? Lemon laws in many states protect consumers against faulty cars (it's a massive pain-in-the-ass to go through the process), and I think it dissuades auto manufacturers from completely cheeping out on cars anymore. Though, there may be issues that creep up beyond the lemon-law time window, then you're basically at the whim of the manufacturer to fix it.

            As for electronics, if you buy from a company like Apple that has a good warran

          • I don't think you can really think of this as the first iteration of the technology anymore. The design is unlikely to change much, even if there's a bit of an issue.

            I still have my iPhone 4, bought a few months after release. I never had the problems with the antenna that other people apparently had, and that was the supposed major, fundamental design flaw of the phone. They fixed it in the 4s, and presumably the 5. But I haven't heard of anything fundamentally wrong with the 4s or the 5, and the new stuff

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by tlhIngan ( 30335 )

            My car was such a dud it wasn't made for many years and resulted in one of the greatest financial setbacks for the manufacturer. The engineers did a fine job designing it, the assembly line did a terrific job of putting it together, but the bean-counters who sourced the parts and figured ways to shave costs doomed it. If they had gone with the original engineers plans it would have been a hit and my car would have been worth a small fortune for being very early off the production line.

            That's also the argume

        • I have had a lot of first model year cars and I have found them to be no more likely to have issues than subsequent model years.

          And I have had a lot of first model year cars and I have found them to have issues which were fixed in just a year or two. Like the corrosive grease in the multifunction switch in my 1984 300ZX killing my batteries by keeping the headlights on even when retracted, or the fuel injector harness connectors on the 1989 240SX failing (they were redesigned) or seatbelt and fuel system recalls on my 1992 F250 7.3 which is not exactly a first model year, but it's the first year of the new interior and many wiring c

          • Maybe you could site a modern first generation car...something maybe in the 21st century? I think you might find that new car quality is at a high-point.

            • Maybe you could site a modern first generation car...something maybe in the 21st century? I think you might find that new car quality is at a high-point.

              Maybe you could provide a citation, any citation that contradicts mine, before asking for another citation? Because anything else is a total douche move, for total douches.

              • You want a citation? Ok, common knowledge and generally accepted facts need no citation. This is especially true when the information is something readers should already know, readily accept, and easily find in general references (like the Internet or paying attention in life).
                ~APA Publication Manual (5th edition). I might have embellished the last part.

                One example of common knowledge and a readily accepted fact would be that modern cars are far more reliable than cars from the 1980s. So if you want to brin

      • In my line of work we take a dim view of being on the bleeding edge of technology. These people are not simply embracing it, but doing so for their own personal reasons i.e. Be first on the block to have one (which is a damn silly thing to do with a considerable investment, which most iPhones are.)

        Well, you see this behavior for other things too.

        I mean, I've never understood people siting and waiting in line to see a movie (Harry Potter, SW, LOTR, Hobbit, etc). I mean, frankly, I would rather wait to see

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by ackthpt ( 218170 )

          In my line of work we take a dim view of being on the bleeding edge of technology. These people are not simply embracing it, but doing so for their own personal reasons i.e. Be first on the block to have one (which is a damn silly thing to do with a considerable investment, which most iPhones are.)

          Well, you see this behavior for other things too.

          I mean, I've never understood people siting and waiting in line to see a movie (Harry Potter, SW, LOTR, Hobbit, etc). I mean, frankly, I would rather wait to see it later without all the fscking crowd and hassle, that is...if I even bother to see it in a movie theater at all.

          I generally wait till out on BluRay and watch it on my large plasma tv, with a great soundsystem and fully stocked bar nearby.

          Well film is a considerably different matter, and other than impatience and a high degree of tolerance to standing in line (to get ticket), standing in line (to get popcorn) and standing in line (to be seated) followed by trying to get a seat which doesn't suck or isn't close to some noisy or obnoxious clod there seems little argument for being there on opening night. Unless it's a real stinker it will play for at least a week and there's going to be times without the great density of hoi polloi which offe

          • ...and other than impatience and a high degree of tolerance to standing in line (to get ticket), standing in line (to get popcorn) and standing in line (to be seated) followed by trying to get a seat which doesn't suck or isn't close to some noisy or obnoxious clod there seems little argument for being there on opening night.

            Reasons to never visit a chain theater again. They are worse than chain restaurants. If you can, go to a local "movie and brews" type place. Alamo Draft House, for example here in Austin. No lines - you buy online, you print your ticket, you reserve your seat, they bring food to you. Bonus: they ban texting and talking and don't let people in after the movie starts. THAT'S how to run a theater. Not 3 gallon buckets of popcorn for $10, not gimmicky Movie premieres. Good food, good beer, good service, and no

      • While these guys (or whoever is paying them) is silly, I hardly think you can characterize a minor update to the sixth-generation of a widely used device as "bleeding edge".

        • Because you already know what they're coming out with? Amazing!

          • Because you already know what they're coming out with? Amazing!

            More because Apple has a history of delivering reasonably decent stuff, and, again, this is an update to an old line.

        • Hardware wise we don't know how much of a change it will be yet. But software wise, it's by far the biggest change to iOS yet.

          Of course defects in the software matter less as they can be fixed later.

      • I wouldn't qualify the iPhone, or most smart phones, as being on the bleeding edge of technology.

        Now, the USB 3 cable on the other hand....

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by plover ( 150551 )

        First, an iPhone is unlikely to be on the bleeding edge of anything. The OS is version 7 (nothing more than a UI refinement of OS version 6, and it's already appearing on today's iPhones.) The hardware won't represent any great leaps in processor or battery technology. As a matter of fact, the only new aspect will be the slightly larger screen. It won't be anything unexpected for its new users.

        Next, a phone is hardly what many people would classify as either "considerable" or even an "investment". It's

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Wingsy ( 761354 )
          A UI refinement of iOS 6? Yes, there's that, plus 1500 new APIs.

          And no, no great leaps in CPU or battery, but there is one thing: a fingerprint sensor that isn't your run-of-the-mill print reader. We'll know tomorrow, but from what I've read of Authentec's patents (now Apple's patents) this one should actually work quite well and be very hard to fool.

          (And BTW, this slightly larger screen appeared a year ago in the iPhone 5.)

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by plover ( 150551 )

            None of those are "bleeding edge" enhancements which the GP suggested would be a reason to avoid the new iPhone.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by gl4ss ( 559668 )

            are you counting calling a library function with different argument as a different api.. or what the fuck?

        • Phones "only a few hundred dollars - less in America". Yeah, good luck with that. New smart phones are $199, sure, but I pay $250 a month for three data plans and three phones and I get a hefty employee discount. When I was young, I would have NEVER prioritized a phone, at current expense, over other things. Phone plans are like a car payment, but it never ends as long as you are using a phone. It's no wonder young people don't have cable, or sometimes, cars.

          • $250/month for three phones is crazy. Check out ting.com. You have to buy the phone up front (you can probably BYOD if you use Sprint), but the monthly charges are generally a lot less. I went from about $90 for a family plan with 2 phones (no data or text, about 1200 minutes for voice) to about $50 for the same amount of voice and light data and text. Don't use your monthly allocation of minutes? They credit your account. I'm one happy customer.

            • I don't know how crazy it is. It's 3 smart phones with unlimited texting and voice and 6 GB of data aggregate across the three devices (family plan). I would guess your low bill is due to not having data/limited data, which is a no go for us.

              I'll give it a look, however. I have 5 phones clear and free of contracts. Maybe I can put my kid on something like that and save a buck or two.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by plover ( 150551 )

            Regardless of the price, it doesn't make the iPhone an "investment". It's an expense, because the value of the phone has almost no chance to rise over time. If you're restricting the conversation to people who can ill afford them, that makes it a really foolish expense - but it's still not an investment.

      • These people are not simply embracing it, but doing so for their own personal reasons i.e. Be first on the block to have one (which is a damn silly thing to do with a considerable investment, which most iPhones are.)

        I'd probably be standing in line just for the fun of it if my phone were due for an upgrade anyway. I certainly wouldn't be afraid of buying an Apple iProduct.0, given their reputation for handling customer issues without hassle. If you buy an iPhone 5S tomorrow, it's about as safe a bet as you can get in the tech industry that Apple will take care of any problems you have with it.

        Yeah, standing in line to buy a mass-produced consumer item is silly on the face of it. But if you were going to get one anyway,

    • Well other than the obvious reason that they want to get the new iPhone before anybody else.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by jaymz666 ( 34050 )

        You mean like have it shipped to your door and delivered on release day?

        • There's no guarantee pre-orders will be received on release day. The iPhone 5 came out Sept 21st, but pre-orders were still being fulfilled in October.

          So people who missed out on getting a first day slot for their pre-order may well cancel and choose to line up for it at a store.

    • Oh there's another really good reason to line up. You can sell your spot in line [time.com] for big bucks. If you're out of work and are just going to bum around for a few days anyway, why not do it outside an Apple store so you can make a few hundred bucks off a stup^H^H^H^Henthusiastic Apple fan.

    • At this point, the only reason to line up for an iDevice is to get on TV. This is not different to survivor or Big Brother.

      High ticket price, though.

  • Cheaper looking... (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    That's been my opinion when looking at the leaked colors, up to and including champagne (which is supposedly an addition to the flagship, rather than the 5C). They look cheap, and the champagne/gold looks like dirty white instead of what I assume was supposed to be evoking jewelry.

    Jobs would never stand for this.

  • shopping season are finally here!

  • How about a 'duh' tag (Score:5, Insightful)

    by onyxruby ( 118189 ) <onyxruby&comcast,net> on Monday September 09, 2013 @01:36PM (#44799805)

    Apple will release a new version of their phone, and another one about a year after that and will keep doing so for as long as there is money to be made doing so. This is no different from any other manufacturer releasing new versions of their products - it's what they do. Why people ever act surprised when there's a new shiny version of 'X' has got to be one of life's great mysteries.

    Next years surprise, Ford releases the 2015 model of the Focus! Shocking! Who could ever see that coming? What do you mean the entire industry does this every single year?

    • On the plus side, at least you can sort of estimate when the new model will be out and if it's worth it to buy or wait.
      Other manufacturers will keep touting their current model up till the day the new one is released, sof if you bought the now outdated one, OH WELL.

    • Apple will release a new version of their phone, and another one about a year after that and will keep doing so for as long as there is money to be made doing so. This is no different from any other manufacturer releasing new versions of their products - it's what they do. Why people ever act surprised when there's a new shiny version of 'X' has got to be one of life's great mysteries.

      Next years surprise, Ford releases the 2015 model of the Focus! Shocking! Who could ever see that coming? What do you mean the entire industry does this every single year?

      I think the difference is, previous Focus owners don't camp on the sidewalk all night waiting for the Ford dealership to open so they can pay retail for the next model.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by mjwx ( 966435 )

      Next years surprise, Ford releases the 2015 model of the Focus! Shocking! Who could ever see that coming?

      This is Jeremy Clarkson's surprised face.

  • Hmmmm .... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by gstoddart ( 321705 ) on Monday September 09, 2013 @01:38PM (#44799841) Homepage

    but also the lower-priced 5C model, in a variety of cheaper-looking colors

    WTF does that even mean?

    Purple used to be reserved for Royalty I think, but I'm not sure I follow what 'cheaper-looking colors' is supposed to even mean.

    Do we have some sort of chart which shows which color looks more expensive than another? Because I've never heard of this.

    • WTF does that even mean?

      It means the submitter is a biased click whore.

    • WTF does that even mean?

      You have to translate while looking down your nose. It basically means if you don't have the 5S they won't let you in the tree house.

    • Colors have a lot to do with how people perceive things, so it doesn't sound too far fetched to say that some colors could be perceived as "cheap". I doubt there's really a chart per se, but here's one example showing some perceptions of some colors: http://daddu.net/the-power-of-colors [daddu.net]. The overall design of something can certainly add a lot to perception as well, and even if a color is perceived as "cheap" the exact shade used, it's context, or quantity used can greatly override that. And just because pur

    • I think Apple's iphone color chart looks something like this (albeit with rounded corners and a faux-beveled overlay)

      Expensive:
      Clear, Metal, Black, White, Gold

      Reserved for dirt poor plebs:
      Every other color

      • I think Apple's iphone color chart looks something like this (albeit with rounded corners and a faux-beveled overlay)

        Expensive:
        Clear, Metal, Black, White, Gold

        Reserved for dirt poor plebs:
        Every other color

        I wonder if there will be knock-offs discovered to be 5C phones spray-painted white.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Monoman ( 8745 )

      They probably do. Just because you don't think a color looks cheaper doesn't mean others agree with you. Apple devices are like fashion items so I'm pretty sure they are very very selective about color, shape, texture, etc.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by mirix ( 1649853 )

      Royal purple was very expensive, as you had to poke / squish thousands of snails to get enough purple snail snot to dye a coat.

      We have better living through coal tar^W^Wchemistry now, though.

  • They're going to offer more colors and... wait for it, put the earphone jack on the side.

  • Publicity Stunt, Please ignore. (Score:5, Insightful)

    by clinko ( 232501 ) on Monday September 09, 2013 @01:43PM (#44799925) Journal

    This is a publicity stunt by a company that sells macs or something. I'm not looking up what they do.

    Summary:
    1) 4 guys get printed shirts with company logos and lines up crazy early.
    2) Vice / Gizmodo / engadget / Slashdot talks about them, with pictures of them in their shirts. Make sure you're still there for the NBC crew shows up!
    3) Profit!

  • Please tell me it is even taller/longer (Score:5, Interesting)

    by h4rr4r ( 612664 ) on Monday September 09, 2013 @01:47PM (#44799995)

    Please tell me this thing is even taller, I want the iPhone to end up looking like one of those satellite tv remotes.

  • Survey says... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by djupedal ( 584558 ) on Monday September 09, 2013 @01:53PM (#44800075)
    It's a safe bet everyone is just looking for clicks and eyeballs, /. included.

  • I think you mean queue (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    The headline makes sense if you replace the word 'line' (which has many meanings) with the word "queue' (a group of people lined up waiting to buy something, or get into an event)

    In the English language anyway.

    • The headline makes sense if you replace the word 'line' (which has many meanings) with the word "queue' (a group of people lined up waiting to buy something, or get into an event)
      But, in New Jersey, nobody knows what the word queue means (even though the reporter used it in the article), but everybody knows what standing in line means. Nobody in the United States has every stood in a queue.

  • Whenever somebody criticizes your lifestyle, just point out that vast sums of money are being spent, traded, and speculated based on the color of a consumer product. Building a life-sized T-rex in your backyard? Hitch-hiking to Guatemala? Chucking it all to become a surf-bum and live in a driftwood shack by the beach? Not the least bit absurd by comparison.

  • I wonder how many of them are hired, or resell them at a net profit in ebay as a novelty.

  • Are you certain [campusbasement.com]?

  • "in a variety of cheaper-looking colors."

    So now even the people writing /. summaries fall into the trap of thinking their preferences apply to everyone.

    There must be something wrong with me to keep me coming to a site that's been this far gone for this long, just because it used to make me better informed years ago before it crashed and burned.
  • I hear there will be a gold iPhone... Kind of like Willy Wonka's Golden Tickets?? I want one!!

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