D-day for iPhone
Friday, June 29th, 2007
They’ve stood (or sat) in line for hours. All across the Country. Some for more than 24 hours. All to be among the first to buy the iPhones that went on sale tonight at 6pm at Apple stores around the country.
It’s mind boggling to see the hype created over this product. I don’t remember ever seeing this much press or hearing this much buzz over any product before. Granted, it’s a really cool looking smart phone with a cutting-edge, touchscreen interface that can connect with WiFi’s, but it’s core function is a phone — (a $500 phone) and it’s exclusive to one provider.
But that is not slowing demand or desire in the least. And if I wasn’t locked in for the next 21 months with Sprint and if I hadn’t recently purchased a Treo, I would be in line right now. In fact, as I’m writing this I’m still trying to figure out a way that I can justify buying one and explaining to my husband why it was absolutely critical that I have one. So far, I haven’t come up with a good angle. And I’d suspect by morning, the first production batch will be sold out.
The demand and pure lust created for this product is a real tribute to the advantages of building such a loyal following that they become “brand evangelists.” Even if the iPhone only has a small share of the vast market, it will have an amazing heart share and people standing in line again when the next version comes out.