Large Apple Store Line Forms 2 Weeks Before iPhone 3G Announcement

This morning I had to go buy another copy of Mac OS X Leopard (my original copy got scratched). As I walked closer to the Apple Store on 5th Avenue in New York City I was somewhat surprised to see a line of about 50 people camped out and waiting in line. Many people had coolers, chairs, and large backpacks. The iPhone 3G announcement isn’t rumored to happen until next month on June 9th, right? Are these people going to wait in the Apple Store line for over two weeks or do they know something we don’t?

Large Apple Store Line For iPhone Annoys Apple Employees

I asked the security guard by the Cube what was going on and he said it was for the iPhone. He wouldn’t say if it was for the 3G iPhone or for old iPhone leftover inventory That’s all he knew and he very was annoyed at me for asking him about the iPhone line. I doubt I was the first person to ask.

Still confused I walked downstairs and bought my copy of Leopard. Before I left the Apple Store, I asked Jessica, my cashier, if the people outside were waiting for the new 3G iPhone. She cryptically said “They are waiting to buy an iPhone. We will sell them whatever phones we have in stock.” She was kind of pissed off too.

Apple Store Line Theories: Bypassing Quantity Restrictions, Blackmarket iPhone Sales & Professional Line Holders

For some reason the majority of people waiting in line were Asian. I was later informed by a friend that to get around Apple’s “purchase per-person quantity restrictions,” you can pay people (usually from Chinatown I guess?) to buy you extra iPhones.

You can also hire professional line holders. So if have the extra cash and want to be the first person in line for the new iPhone, then you can just pay someone to hold your place. The professional line holders usually work in pairs. This allows them to take bathroom breaks, run errands, and buy food.

The final theory involves sending iPhone overseas to get sold on the black market. Since the iPhone isn’t available yet in China, wealthy Apple fans in China are paying big money to get an iPhone.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.

Press Links:

• NYC iPhone Lineup Suggests Black Market Is Still Thriving
• Lines Already For iPhone 2.0? – Cult of Mac
• New York: tutti in coda per l’iPhone. O forse…
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• People Have already started to lineup to pick up iPhone 2.0
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• NYC iPhone Lineup Suggests Black Market Is Still Thriving
• Stranezze a New York: in coda per iPhone senza iPhone
• Lines Already For iPhone 2.0?
• Empiezan las colas en la Apple Store de NY
• Sammelsurium: Schlangen fürs alte iPhone
• LINES ALREADY FOR IPHONE 2.0?