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The Honolulu Advertiser

Updated at 1:59 p.m., Friday, June 29, 2007

Dozens lining up at Apple in Ala Moana for iPhone

By Dan Nakaso
Advertiser Staff Writer

 

From left, Dane Gonsalves of Honolulu, Maria Stewart of Honolulu and T.J. Nii of Kunia were the first to line up at the Cingular store on Kapi'olani Boulevard at 6 a.m. today in hopes of being among the first in Hawai'i to buy the new iPhone, also being sold at Apple stores.

RICHARD AMBO |The Honolulu Advertiser

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More customers were seen waiting outside the Apple Store in Ala Moana Center this morning.

RICHARD AMBO |The Honolulu Advertiser

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Advertiser Webmaster Scott Morifuji is also waiting in line at the Apple Store. Check out his BLOG.

By 8:15 this morning, more than 40 people had lined up at the Ala Moana Center Apple store — one of 18 Apple and AT&T (formerly Cingular) stores — in hopes of being among the first in Hawai'i to get their hands on Apple's new iPhone.

Edward Paul, a sales engineers for the Internet service provider PixiNet, was first in line. He arrived at 4:59 a.m.

Paul attempted to set up camp earlier, but an Ala Moana Center security guard kicked him out at 11:22 last night.

See Paul and his "camping stash" and others in line in this ADVERTISER VIDEO.

Retail stores will begin selling the phones at 6 p.m.

Sitting in line with a laptop, cell phone and iPod, Paul said, "If I'm going to splurge, I'm going to splurge on something that consolidates all three."

The iPhone, which integrates a wireless phone, iPod media player and Web access using touch-screen technology, costs $499 or $599 for respective 4- and 8-gigabyte models, plus a basic two-year AT&T service contract at $60 to $100 a month.

Paul, 34, calls the introduction of the iPhone the "color television of our generation." He predicted that in five to 10 years "people will say: 'Why do you have any other type of phone? Why would you go black-and-white when you can have color?"

Paul came prepared to spend all day — He has three laptop batteries — and hopes to protect his spot during bathroom breaks by simply making friends with the other campers.

Reach Dan Nakaso at dnakaso@honoluluadvertiser.com.