Many proud owners of Apple鈥檚 new iPhone raved about their first day with the device on Saturday, but a glitch took the shine off the year鈥檚 most anticipated device for a few unlucky customers.
Of 11 iPhone owners contacted on Saturday, nine reported little or no trouble setting up their handsets, which combines a cellphone, music player and web browser.
鈥淚t鈥檚 awesome, it鈥檚 the best thing I ever saw in my life,鈥� says New Yorker Jerry Gregory. 鈥淥nce people see this phone, they are going to want one. Everybody I show this phone wants one, even people who were anti-iPhone.鈥�
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But Brad Bargman of Florida, who waited in line nine hours on Friday to buy his phone, says excitement turned to dismay when the device stubbornly refused to activate.
The iPhone, which costs $500 or $600 depending on its memory capacity, is activated through a process handled by AT&T, the phone鈥檚 exclusive network carrier for the next two years.
The thrill is gone
鈥淚t鈥檚 a real buzz kill,鈥� says Bargman, adding that repeated calls to AT&T failed to get the device to work. 鈥淣ow I鈥檓 soured on it a little bit.鈥�
David Clayman, the third person in line at Apple鈥檚 flagship Manhattan store, says he was still unable to activate his iPhone a day later, probably because he couldn鈥檛 update the Apple software on his computer needed to start the process.
Asked about problems some buyers were having, AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel says the 鈥渧ast majority鈥� of customers were able to use their phones within minutes.
鈥淭here are some whose activation process is being delayed 鈥� that鈥檚 something that can happen in a launch like this, and we鈥檙e resolving those on a case-by-case basis,鈥� Siegel says.
Apple spokeswoman Jennifer Bowcock declined to comment on the number of iPhones sold at its 162 outlets, saying only: 鈥淪o far we鈥檝e seen a lot of excitement and buzz.鈥�
Apple aims to sell 10 million units in 2008, giving it 1% of the global mobile phone market. The company hopes that the iPhone will become its third key product alongside iPod music and video players and Mac computers.
Nerd rapture
By mid-afternoon on Saturday, Apple鈥檚 store in downtown San Francisco was crowded with shoppers interested in the iPhone display. Indeed, the iPhone triggered a sort of 鈥渘erd rapture鈥� among some gadget freaks.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not like it鈥檚 a computer, it鈥檚 not like it鈥檚 a phone, it鈥檚 like a living sculpture in my hands,鈥� said Dale Larson, a mobile business consultant in San Francisco.
Buyers cited the large screen, the full-blown internet browser, the ability to play music and video, and the high camera quality as the phone鈥檚 best features.
Two of the top concerns raised prior to the phone鈥檚 launch 鈥� the on-screen keyboard and quality of AT&T鈥檚 network 鈥� were annoying to some people, but no one said they regretted buying the device. 鈥淎t first I tried to use my thumbs to type, but it didn鈥檛 work so well. But if I use my finger, it鈥檚 OK,鈥� says software developer Tim Brown.
Within hours of the first iPhones going on sale on Friday, some enthusiasts scrambled to be the first to discover what makes the devices tick, posting photos and videos of disassembled phones on the Internet.
In search of secrets
The information is more than just academic. Apple keeps a tight grip on information about parts suppliers so 鈥渢ear downs鈥� of its products are closely watched by investors keen to figure out how to place their bets.
Some dissected the phones with the clinical skill of a surgeon while others resorted to brute force, enraging those swept up in the hype and winning praise from those gleefully resisting it.
By Sunday afternoon, a had garnered 56,000 views and was the 13th most-watched clip on the site, prompting some extremely angry comments.
Watching the clip, it is difficult to see what was learned from the destruction.
The creator, whose user page identified him only as Rob in Miami, Florida, posted a second clip defending his unorthodox methods. 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 smash it just to smash it. We smashed it to see what was inside. We were under a time limit,鈥� Rob said. 鈥淲e resorted to extreme measures.鈥�
