It's iPhone Phriday! Meet the iDiots

What you are looking at above is the end of the iPhone line at the Apple Store Fifth Avenue, which by about noon today had wrapped around the GM Building all the way to Madison Avenue and 59th Street. By now, it has probably circled the entire city block. Normally, we wouldn't be quite so abusive towards these enthusiastic consumers, but at this point we can only say that they are a bunch of iPh#$%ing iDiots. Of course, they have all become temporary media celebrities as every network has a crew covering the most hyped product launch since Paris Hilton's jail term. Reporters are interviewing line members all over the place. We half expect CNN to break programming at 6PM to report on the first iPhone sold.
Why so cruel? Please see the line at the AT&T store at Park Avenue and 51st street below.

Yes, Shophounders, that's the entire line. A whopping six, count 'em, six people. Maybe eight if we include the empty chairs, and lets do! We think it's safe to say that they are all going to get a phone! They may be annoyed that there aren't more people waiting behind them, but they would be laughing their asses off if they could see all the fools camping out only a few blocks away.

The line at Fifth Avenue was just looking dirty and gross, as people had brought all manner of blankets, cushions and even a few mattresses (ick) for their long, multi-day waits. Several people had signs offering to sell their places in line, making it questionable exactly how many people in that endless queue were actually planning to purchase a phone for themselves. At least one customer had taken up a collection to pay for her phone when she finally got inside the store. Apparently, neighboring store FAO Schwarz had been providing waiting customers with gift bags, as nearly every person near the front of the line had a couple of the luxury toy store's signature red bags among their various belongings. Smart move. Clearly they had a captive audience of people who like expensive toys. Down at the Apple Store SoHo, the line was equally long extending all the way up Greene Street onto Houston, just to the corner of Mercer. This crowd naturally looked slightly cleaner and more upscale - it's SoHo after all. And they had been well attended by Apple employees distributing bottles of SmartWater and Dunkin Donuts reps handing out free coffee coupons and mylar wrapped copies of Wired magazine. And yet, we can't help imagining that the AT&T store at Broadway and Astor place (half block line) would be a better place to cool ones heels until the magic hour of 6PM when the phone will finally be released upon its salivating public.