cashiphone 500

June 29: iPhone Night.

This morning, I had to get to work at 11 am. I work at a toy store and although a somewhat steady stream of customers came in, it felt like an eternity before my coworker arrived to cover for me. She walked in the door at 3:45 and I bolted! I was out of my Learning Express apron, had my purse in hand and in the car by 3:46.

I wanted to wear something other than my work uniform to the launch, so I changed in the car; not an easy feat if you're 5'8" and drive a Hyundai Accent. I got changed and had to high-tail it to the bank to pull out money with which to buy the phone. I popped out of my car, ran into the WaMu, and left with an obscene amount of cash. I'd never been so nervous in my life. (I'm always convinced I'll get mugged by everyone.)

I jump in the car, find my way to Westheimer and cursing everyone who was doing the speed limit along the way. I get to the parking garage at about 4 pm. I ran to the Apple Store through the crowded mall. A few people hypothesized why I was running with such haste: "Nerd must want that Apple Phone!"I finally got in line a little after 4 PM. I was number 126. I passed the time with a fellow nerd in line. (Hi, Henry!!!)

We finally got in the store around 6:30 or so; the staff really rushed people outta there!

My buying experience was less than stellar. I was paying with cash, as my credit card limit is only $1500 a month, and a girls gotta have her credit card available to her! Since the Houston Galleria Apple store is a v2.0 interior, theres about a dozen clerks with credit card handsets and a single cash drawer.

One.

I was put in a line behind 5 teenage boys. If I were single, Id get super-excited and start preening, but I dont think my boyfriend would quite appreciate that. ;) There was one girl working the cash register and she took forever to count out change. I was in the secondary cash-line for about 45 minutes, while dozens and dozens of people whizzed by me, buying all my iPhones! Nooo!!

Luckily, I got to buy an 8 gig iPhone; they hadnt sold out. I gave the nice girl seven crisp $100-bills and walked to the accessory wall.

I picked up a few accessories. The SkinTight case from Speck, the Crystal Film Set from Power Support, and an iTunes card because I should probably buy a movie and watch it on the iPhone to get a feel for the screen. Ill post full reviews of the cases and the film later. Am I right in guessing that we dont need a review of the iTunes gift card? ? If I wanted to pay cash for the accessories, I wouldve had to wait in that cursed line AGAIN, so I just charged it with a nice young man with his remote control credit card machine.
I got my goodies and was on my way in a matter of seconds. Yay!

I sped home, going a little a lot over the speed limit, carefully tore open the box and took pics as I went along. Enjoy the unboxing! (after the jump)

And is there anything yall want to see tomorrow? Leave it in the comments! :)

And the Gallery:

IMG 6646 300 IMG 6648 300 IMG 6655 300 IMG 6658 300 IMG 6663 300 IMG 6664 300 IMG 6666 300 IMG 6668 300 IMG 6669 300

Good-bye cruddy Motoroloa L6 I've had for a month and a half; hello, iPhone!

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iOS 26 Feature

iOS 26.1 to iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Wednesday October 1, 2025 1:26 pm PDT by
iOS 26 was released last month, but the software train never stops, and iOS 26.1 beta testing is already underway. So far, iOS 26.1 makes both Apple Intelligence and Live Translation on compatible AirPods available in additional languages, and it includes some other minor changes across Apple Music, Calendar, Photos, and Safari. More features and changes will follow in future versions,...
john ternus on stage

Gurman: Major Apple Leadership Shakeup Impending With John Ternus as Next CEO

Monday October 6, 2025 6:21 am PDT by
Apple is entering its most significant leadership transition in more than a decade as multiple senior executives prepare to depart and CEO Tim Cook begins to shape the company's next generation of leaders, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman explained that Jeff Williams, who was viewed as Cook's potential successor for several...
iPhone 17 vs Air and Pros Feature

New iPhones See 'Stronger Than Expected' Demand With One Exception

Thursday October 2, 2025 7:26 am PDT by
Nearly two weeks after the iPhone 17 series launched, analysts at investment banking firm Morgan Stanley said demand for the devices has been "modestly stronger than we originally expected," based on a combination of extended shipping estimates on Apple's online store and information it gathered from Apple's supply chain. There has been strong early demand for the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro,...
iOS 26 Feature

iOS 26 Adds These 200 New Features and Changes to Your iPhone

Saturday October 4, 2025 8:19 am PDT by
Apple's website offers a list of nearly 200 new features and changes (PDF file) included in the software update, released last month. Apple also shared equivalent lists for iPadOS 26 and macOS Tahoe. iOS 26 is compatible with the iPhone 11 and newer. To install the update, open the Settings app on your iPhone, tap on General, and tap on Software Update. Below, we have highlighted eight ...
ios 26 1 slide to stop

Apple Fixes Alarms in iOS 26.1

Monday October 6, 2025 11:56 am PDT by
With the second beta of iOS 26.1, Apple updated the design of alarms set on the iPhone, making them harder to dismiss than before. Stopping an alarm in iOS 26.1 beta 2 requires a new Slide to Stop gesture rather than a simple tap. You can continue to tap to snooze an alarm, but if you want to turn it off entirely, you need to use a swipe. Transitioning from a tap to a slide gesture to...
ipad mini 7 feature blue

iPad Mini 8 on the Way: Expected Features and Release Timeline

Monday October 6, 2025 5:05 am PDT by
A new iPad mini is "absolutely" on the way, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. So what should we expect from the successor to the iPad mini 7 that Apple released a year ago? Processor and Performance Apple is working on a next-generation version of the iPad mini (codename J510/J511) that features the A19 Pro chip, according to information found in code that Apple mistakenly shared in...
iCloud iPhone 17 Pro

Apple Highlights Five Perks for iPhone Users Who Pay for iCloud Storage

Monday October 6, 2025 6:29 am PDT by
After launching new iPhones last month, Apple is promoting iCloud+ with a prominent banner on its home page, in a bid to boost its services revenue. In addition to more storage, all iCloud+ plans include five perks for iPhone users. As a refresher, iCloud includes 5GB of storage for free. If you want extra storage, you need to subscribe to an iCloud+ plan. In the United States, prices range...
macbook air prime day 2025

M5 MacBook Air: Release Date, Features, and Performance Predictions

Friday October 3, 2025 3:39 am PDT by
The MacBook Air is Apple's most popular laptop – a thin, fanless machine that wields quiet power thanks to the efficiency of Apple silicon. While the M4 model isn't exactly old, attention is already turning to its successor. Apple doesn't telegraph new product launches ahead of time, but we can draw a surprisingly clear picture of what to expect by looking at Apple's silicon roadmap,...