Idiot Lines

June 24, 2010 at 8:23 am | No Comments »

To say that I’m a long-time Apple fan is an understatement. I’ve used Macs since the very first 128K in 1984. Daily for 20 years now. I’ve owned so many Apple-branded products, I no longer remember all of them. Hell, I still have a working Newton.

Given my history, you’d probably expect me to be celebrating today. Nope. Not even close. I went to an Apple store last night in the hopes of solving my iOS4 battery woes. Turns out 10 or so fools had already planted themselves on the grubby sidewalk. I presume in anticipation of this morning’s iPhone 4 launch. I didn’t confirm why they were in line though because I couldn’t stand to look at them, much less hold a conversation.

The mania that’s developed around Apple’s product launches. The breathless coverage of the company’s every move. The idolization of Steve Jobs. It’s all starting to make me wish for another Power Mac G4 Cube. A technical and aesthetic triumph that’s ignored by the masses.

Yes, I’m an early adopter. I got the original iPod, iPhone and iPad all on their respective launch days. But I never, ever stood in a line much less camped out. That’s just stupid. We’re talking mass production folks. There will be millions available in weeks, if not days. And I guarantee that iDevice you’re so eager to get will be landfill fodder in exactly one year.

(For the record, the Apple Genius confirmed that the battery drain I’m experiencing is abnormal. He agreed to replace the handset except the store was out of stock. Hopefully, I’ll have a new white 32GB 3GS in a couple of days.)

---