Report from the line

by on June 29, 2007

Bill Atkinson in line to buy his iPhone

So, it’s been non-stop in line here. I haven’t had my hands on a keyboard until 3 a.m.

Why did I wait in line in Palo Alto and not the more sexy San Francisco? Easy, I knew there’d be more geeks in line here. And the line did not disappoint.

First of all, Bill Atkinson is in line here. He was Apple’s first software developer. He wrote Mac Paint. Hypercard. Did the windowing system. And much more. Most historians believe he’s one of the top software developers Silicon Valley has ever seen. And that’s no hype.

He’s been telling folks in line all sorts of old Macintosh stories (he was on the original Mac team). We streamed his conversation live and it really was incredible. Loren Heiny was watching our live stream tonight and said the conversation was awesome. Plus his photography (what he’s passionate about now) is stunning. We’re going to try to do a photo walking with him soon.

Steve Gillmor filmed the conversation and we’ll have it up on PodTech.

Anyway, I’m going to try to get some sleep and see ya in a few hours.

There’s 125 people in line at 3:36 a.m.

Also in line? The Quicken Mac Team. Zooomr. Smug Mug. TechMeme. Quite a few others.

I have a few photos on my Flickr account. I’m sure there are other ones too. Plus we’re streaming live still over on Ustream.

  • Its interesting and astonishing to know that your son and you were 1st ones In line......

    Since Im from India we have to wait for a long time till the iphone comes here.

    Will be following your blog closely to see how the iphone mania picks up.

    Priya
    www.watblog.com
  • Hey Man,

    You have your picture. I have mine from Steve himself at the moment of the conception.

    Look at hppt://www.oursheet.com
  • Here's some more photos including lots of Robert and Patrick.

    http://beta.zooomr.com/search/photos/?q=iphonel...
  • Alex
    Good luck for later today, Robert. Aren't you a little cold?
  • MikeJones
    It sounds like an amazing experience.
  • Can I get your old N95 if you're getting an iPhone?

    :-)

    Andy
  • Ask the Quicken mac team when they plan to comply with OS X interface guidelines.
  • Matthew Loraditch
    Patrick is the picture drudgereport.com is using for it's link to the ap story: http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070629/D8Q2FH...
  • Why does Apple make a legend like Atkinson wait in line?
  • Fake: not sure. He seems like the kind of person who won't call and beg for one. He made a fake wood iPhone, though, as soon as he saw it just to "get an idea of what it'd feel like in his hand."

    It's not cold here. We never even needed our sleeping bag. San Francisco is a lot colder, I hear.
  • Ben: they told me last night that they know their UI sucks and they are working hard on it.
  • Wish I could be out there with you guys. Send me your stories for "iPhone the Book" Click my name for more information.
  • JMB
    The Scoble's (actually, only Patrick) made the Drudge Report!

    Nice.

    www.drudgereport.com
  • WAKE UP!!! TIME TO BUY.
  • Podesta
    According to the SF paper, Woz will also be waiting in line for an iPhone -- because he wants to. It is telling that Robert and Fake Paul assume people are being tortured by Steve Jobs at the drop of a hat.
  • His photographs are stunning. I can imagine this experience -- the people, the geekery, the comraderie, is a once-in-a-lifetime.

    I'll live vicariously through the vid feeds.
  • George
    Do not buy that Version, there will be a new and better version of the IPhone presented in Europe.

    http://www.newswireless.net/index.cfm/article/3466

    It also has implementes 3G, the latest and fasted technology in the celluare market.

    If you compare the EDGE, which is implemented in the old iPhone, to HSPDPA, which is the faster version of 3G, you get results like these charts.

    http://blog.treonauts.com/BroadbandComparison.gif

    Currently, I'm online with 3G and can have up to 3,6 Mbit/s as a download speed, as well as a higher upload Speed than EDGE.

    So do not buy old stuff, with is out of date on Monday!

    Best regards Jörg
  • If you had a boss like most people he would have never let you leave for 2 days to do this. JFYI.
  • Podesta
    The mayor of Philadelphia is another public figure waiting in line for the iPhone:

    http://www.nbc10.com/news/13592982/detail.html
  • Woz is first in line at the Valley Fair store.
  • Chris: I have a boss and his name is Steve Gillmor. I'm buying him an iPhone. So now you know how to get away with all this.
  • Jeff
    Is that patrick on drudgereport.com's home page?
  • MikeJones
    Watching this on UStream via Kris. In a strange way, its gripping stuff.
  • DBL
    "Its interesting and astonishing to know that your son and you were 1st ones In line……"

    ???

    Scoble's coverage of this event has been really spectacular -- the best out there far as I can tell. But not, of course, because of his position in the line... I mean, hey, if Greg Packer can do it...

    P.S. The idea of the Woz standing in line for an iPhone makes me very sad for some reason.
  • Jeff: yep, that's Patrick on Drudgereport. He's in lots of newspapers too.

    DBL: CNBC says that Woz would be able to get one next week, but he couldn't wait.

    Bill Atkinson told me that he could have gotten a free one too, but he wanted to "be part of the scene." He said he missed Woodstock and wasn't about to miss iPhone launch.
  • Re: the pic.
    I think putting a bumper sticker on your shirt for a photo op does more harm than good. cafepress.com can do single prints with jpegs.
  • Martin
    I will be honest I don't get it. It seems to be a phone that offers less than the competition, less expandable and it's weakess capabilities are as a phone. This really seems to be a case of snake oil or the emperor's new clothes...certainly the first reviews tend to confirm that conclusion.

    Have fun
  • anon
    I just came across this clip of the today show:
    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19499360

    The host had trouble answering her iPhone - she claims she was pushing the answer button but it wouldn't work.

    The reason I mention this comes back to the touchscreen discussion - no matter which way Apple spins it, I think there's something to be said about knowing you've pressed a button, especially for non-techies.
  • In regards to the guy commenting on the 3G iPhone rumors, that's for Europe. Europe uses different 3G frequencies than we do here in the US. Thus, a 3G iPhone for Europe would still be back on EDGE here in the States, so it's not necessarily "out-dated".
  • Wow, a chance to talk to Bill Atkinson...if I knew he'd be there along with all of the other famous techy geeks, I would have flown in from Dallas just to go stand in line even though I don't plan on getting an iPhone (yet).

    Unfortunately, I'm just not one of those "early adopters". I hate to get the first version of a car...they end up making it better a year or two after they come out with it, anyway. ;)

    Also, I'm not so sure about the glass and inputting/typing. Since I'm on the road so much and need to dial numbers and respond to emails, I personally prefer the fact that I can actually feel the keys. But maybe it's something you have to get used to?
  • Deja Vidor
    Martin: what negative reviews are you referring to? The ones I have seen, starting with Mossberg in Wall Street Journal, have all been varying degrees of positive... ranging from warm all the way up to ecstatic. You must be reading "Windows Mobile Journal" or something.
  • Chris L
    I'd like to see some photos of the Apple store in Toronto, with nobody waiting in line.
  • hey--doesn't this mean you and patrick are buying 2 phones--one for you and one for him?
  • xbhatti
    Here's a short dig on the hype-o-meter:
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/82643436@N00/65581...
  • I can confirm that Woz is indeed sitting outside the Apple Store in the Valley Fair mall.

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/fiatlux/664358166/
  • amal ekbal
    Are you going to give to blog later with more on the conversation yesterday with bill atkinson?

    Palo alto line looks way cooler than any others ... have fun
  • A
    Good grief you are boring Scoble.

    Please read a book and get technical rather than just talk mind-numbing trash.
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