Waiting in line has become cool. People dressed in strange costumes, attempting to resemble characters from the films, gather to wait in line days before tickets go on sale. These fanatics only come out of their mom’s basement once a year, and when they do, they are dressed as Yoda.
These are not the only people who stand in line for fun. In fact, a few times a year, a mass of 20-to 30-something yuppies turn out in droves. They come in all ages, sizes and shapes, and they all come with lots of money, and generally provide lots of laughs. These are Apple computer fanatics.
Somehow I find myself attracted to these events. Perhaps it’s the Apple mystique or the free giveaways-or maybe it’s the chance to watch these yuppies let loose.
I’ve attended two Apple events in my life, the grand opening of its new flagship store in Chicago, and the release of OS X Panther across the Potomac in Clarendon.
Last June was my first experience with this crazy Apple subculture. I was meeting some friends of mine (two of them are Apple employees) for the grand opening of the Apple store on North Michigan Avenue in Chicago. Originally, I had no idea what to expect from such an event. However, as I neared the location of the store, I could tell this was something big.
When I was about a block away, I heard the roar of helicopters. Looking up, I saw three TV-news helicopters hovering above. I then saw the line of people waiting wrap around a full city block three times.
After searching a while for my friends, I found them fully decked-out with Apple-themed clothing and accessories. Referring to Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, they had a poster proclaiming “Jobs 4 Prez” and a homemade shirt reading “Steve Jobs is my hero.”
However, this was only the tip of the iceberg. I also saw many people with laptops. People had camped out the night before, armed with their PowerBooks, webcams and wireless internet. Several Apple fanatics were sitting on the sidwalk, chatting on Instant Messenger, while updating their Apple-fanatic websites with the latest photos from the line.
I also saw many people wearing T-shirts from various other Apple store openings. These people had done this many, many times before.
Once the doors opened, there was a loud cheer, and us fanatics were greeted at the door with high-fives from Apple employees.
Apple turned the grand opening of a new store into an all-night event. They had a DJ armed with two iPod MP3 players, mood lighting, seminars on how to use your computer, and more.
When I heard that there would be a special event for the release of Panther, the latest version of the Apple operating system, I decided I had to go. I called a friend of mine and we headed out to Clarendon an hour or so before the release event was schduled.
Reaching the store, we saw a line that had formed completely around the mall. Just like the Chicago opening, hundreds of people had gathered for the release of a software uprgade. Again, many were wearing Apple related clothing, some had Apple logo tattoos, and many had brought their computers.
As we stood in line, I happened to notice what looked like an 8-foot tall person. Upon closer inspection, I saw that it was a man on a Segway Human Transporter.
This sparked a debate with my friend about the usefulness of such a device. It is my contention that a Segway is useless, becuase what do you do with the thing upon arrival at your destination? Until the thing can fold into a suitcase as in The Jetsons, I’m not interested.
We both wondered what this man would do once the line started moving. I guessed that he would chain it to a tree. I did not actually think he would bring it in the store.
Sure enough, though, about an hour later he was driving thing inside the store. I would have assumed that an Apple employee would have asked him to leave-I mean, I can’t ride my bicycle in there. Though, I guess that they were too impressed by his $5000 transportation device that can’t fold into a suitcase.
I was hoping that Segway-man would distract the employees so I could walk out with a new G5 and one of those sexy flat-panel displays, but instead all I got was a lousy “Panther” dog tag. I guess they are preparing the troops for an upcoming battle with Microsoft.
Dave Stroup is a sophomore in the College and voices editor of The Georgetown Voice. Yeah, he’s an Apple dork.
