Line on iPhone 4 Day, Fort Worth TX Apple Store
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199. I don’t know if that’s the entry price for an iPhone 4 or how hot it feels in the University Park Village parking lot today.
Today is iPhone 4 Day and there are reports from all over the country about long lines and even longer waits for Apple’s newest iPhones. The University Park Village Apple Store in Fort Worth, Texas is no different.
People lined up before sunrise at the Fort Worth store. Lines soon grew to stretch all the way down the plaza and around to the back of the building. Wait in Fort Worth today were running about 3 1/2 hours if you got there early. If you got in line there at about 10:00 AM, the wait to get into the store is now estimated at about 4 hours. According to new iPhone owners I interviewed as they left the store, waiting, sales and activation takes about another hour once you get in the door.
The mood in the line seems to be festive at best, tolerant of the wait at worst. Even people at the back of the line were friendly and joking. People in the non-reservation “To Purchase” line were calm and ready to wait. Many of them brought chairs and large sun umbrellas.
Apple Store employees giving out free water and snacks to those in line
The Apple Store employees here are doing an outstanding job of managing the flow, the line, and the crowd. There are plenty of employees at the door and manning the lines to answer questions. Store employees are going down the line giving people water and snacks — not only a great gesture but almost a necessity given that the temperature was almost 90° here before 11:00 AM.
If you are planning on getting an iPhone 4 today, it is an all-day affair. Cancel lunch meetings and possibly use a personal day off at work. Bring a chair and some sunscreen (if you’re outside) and be ready to wait awhile.
Apple Store employees I spoke with told me that if you reserved an iPhone, it’ll be there for you and can be picked up any time today up until store closing. The Fort Worth store officially closes at 8:00 PM today, but I was told that if there are still people in line at that time that everyone would be accommodated.
I’ll be back at the Fort Worth Apple Store later this afternoon to see how the lines have dwindled, if at all.
Did you get your iPhone 4 today? How did it go for you? Share your stories in the comments below.
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