Revy
19th October 2011, 23:38
This idiot apparently thinks it is such an important fact that there were Asians in the line ahead of him to buy an iPhone. That is news? He theorizes some kind of conspiracy to send iPhones to China. Right, China...because he thinks all Asians come from there.
http://www.businessinsider.com/chinese-buying-iphones-2011-10?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+typepad%2Falleyinsider%2Fsili con_alley_insider+%28Silicon+Alley+Insider%29
Well, so much for that.
I figured that, five days after the smash launch of the iPhone 4S, I'd finally be able to get one without waiting in the absurdly long lines that Apple (http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/apple) zealots seem to revel in waiting in. (Yes, I could have ordered one, but I didn't.)
And inasmuch as I had to be in midtown at the crack of dawn for a CNN (http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/cnn) hit, I figured today was the day.
I'd get to the Apple store by 7:30, before the crowds, and I'd finally upgrade (http://www.businessinsider.com/chinese-buying-iphones-2011-10?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+typepad%2Falleyinsider%2Fsili con_alley_insider+%28Silicon+Alley+Insider%29#).
And, joy, when I popped down the glass staircase under the enshrouded glass cube, the place was empty. So empty that no one was even checking out the iPhones.
And there were no Apple folk around the tables, either.
So I figured this would be the first time in history that I actually had to ask for help (http://www.businessinsider.com/chinese-buying-iphones-2011-10?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+typepad%2Falleyinsider%2Fsili con_alley_insider+%28Silicon+Alley+Insider%29#) at an Apple store.
So I popped up to the counter and said, "Hi, I'd like a 4S!"
And the girl looked at me like I was the idiot I was.
"You have to wait in the line upstairs," she said.
Line upstairs? When came in, I didn't see any line upstairs.
"Yes, the line upstairs."
Well, that was a bummer. But I figured that, at this hour, the line couldn't be more than a few crazy folks. But as I headed back up the staircase, I asked one of the cheery greeters where the line was.
"Oh, it's over there," he said, pointing. "More than 100 people!"
And so it was.
And the thing I noticed immediately was the homogeneity of the folks in the line.
They were all of Asian descent. And they weren't speaking any English, at least not that I heard.
It then began to rain and I fled back downstairs into the cube, so I didn't get to confirm my theory, but here it is: I'm going to guess that the folks in line were mostly Chinese. And I'm going to guess that they were loading up on iPhones to send to China.
(But why? Don't they have Apple stores in China now? Are iPhones still much cheaper here? Perhaps one of our kind readers can explain...)
http://www.businessinsider.com/chinese-buying-iphones-2011-10?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+typepad%2Falleyinsider%2Fsili con_alley_insider+%28Silicon+Alley+Insider%29
Well, so much for that.
I figured that, five days after the smash launch of the iPhone 4S, I'd finally be able to get one without waiting in the absurdly long lines that Apple (http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/apple) zealots seem to revel in waiting in. (Yes, I could have ordered one, but I didn't.)
And inasmuch as I had to be in midtown at the crack of dawn for a CNN (http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/cnn) hit, I figured today was the day.
I'd get to the Apple store by 7:30, before the crowds, and I'd finally upgrade (http://www.businessinsider.com/chinese-buying-iphones-2011-10?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+typepad%2Falleyinsider%2Fsili con_alley_insider+%28Silicon+Alley+Insider%29#).
And, joy, when I popped down the glass staircase under the enshrouded glass cube, the place was empty. So empty that no one was even checking out the iPhones.
And there were no Apple folk around the tables, either.
So I figured this would be the first time in history that I actually had to ask for help (http://www.businessinsider.com/chinese-buying-iphones-2011-10?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+typepad%2Falleyinsider%2Fsili con_alley_insider+%28Silicon+Alley+Insider%29#) at an Apple store.
So I popped up to the counter and said, "Hi, I'd like a 4S!"
And the girl looked at me like I was the idiot I was.
"You have to wait in the line upstairs," she said.
Line upstairs? When came in, I didn't see any line upstairs.
"Yes, the line upstairs."
Well, that was a bummer. But I figured that, at this hour, the line couldn't be more than a few crazy folks. But as I headed back up the staircase, I asked one of the cheery greeters where the line was.
"Oh, it's over there," he said, pointing. "More than 100 people!"
And so it was.
And the thing I noticed immediately was the homogeneity of the folks in the line.
They were all of Asian descent. And they weren't speaking any English, at least not that I heard.
It then began to rain and I fled back downstairs into the cube, so I didn't get to confirm my theory, but here it is: I'm going to guess that the folks in line were mostly Chinese. And I'm going to guess that they were loading up on iPhones to send to China.
(But why? Don't they have Apple stores in China now? Are iPhones still much cheaper here? Perhaps one of our kind readers can explain...)