The iPhone phenomenon

The iPhone phenomenon is the biggest news since Paris Hilton. The phenomenon - the hype, the intensity of national attention - hasn't manifested itself since the release of the Wii and Playstation 3, and is soon to besiege us once more in three weeks when the last Harry Potter novel is released. What then, is the human fascination with wasting away a day, two days, even four days for a $500-$600 piece of glorified metal? I'm sure many of these people have jobs, families, and lives to get to. Heck, they could have strolled into their local AT&T or Apple Store and picked up a brand spankin' new iPhone at 7 PM without having to wait in a ridiculous line. Perhaps people were spurred by the sellouts of the aforementioned Wii and Playstation 3, but then what spurred those people? It must be some inherent cultural tendency to be the first, or second, or fiftieth to get their hands on a shiny new product; just not the five hundredth. Never that.

I'm sure some people skipped work, left their wives or husbands and home to watch the kids, and stood, sat, leaned, or crawled their way through a predetermined line until 6 PM local time just for the experience. Some surely did it just so they can brag to their colleagues, "Remember how I skipped work on Friday 'cause I was sick? Well I wasn't. Check this out." And then when their boss comes around, they shut up immediately and start coughing. Loudly. Bragging rights is, of course, as old as humanity itself. Then there are those who tried, and failed, to cheat the system, such as the woman who tried to buy off an entire store of iPhones, even paying $800 to some lucky guy for his spot in line - only to find out there was a limit per customer. And then there are those who just have to have it first. We don't need to go there.

I guess the good thing about the phenomenon this time around is the lack of violence. There's nobody killing, beating, or stabbing someone else for an iPhone, a welcome relief from the woes of November. Beyond those stupid acts of violence, there are people who are really willing to give up one day of their lives to sit around and do nothing. Maybe it's their excuse for that vacation, that day off, that they've been meaning to treat themselves to since they got that promotion three months ago. Nevertheless, the phenomenon is here, and it appears as if it's hear to stay. It's weird, it's nonsensical, it's modern culture. Instant gratification is in, grabbing a hot new product the day after its release is out.

This topic will surely be revisited come July 21, when millions of people gather at storefronts for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. See you on the lines.