I want the FULL apple experience

Iamthat_dude

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Hey everyone, I'm new to the forums and soon will be new to apple. I will be owning an iphone for the first time after using Android and Android devices for many years. I have no knocks on Android but with apple's advances and especially apple pay I feel it's time to give Apple a try. Seeing this is my first iphone, I want the FULL experience. No pre-orders for me, I will be camping out the night before and waiting on-line to grab one at the apple store.

I live in the DC area so with at least 4-5 stores to choose from it's just a matter of which one I will go to, more than likely it will be the store in Bethesda, MD. For those who have camped out before, what has been your experiences as far as time I should get there, what to bring to stay busy, etc, etc. Weather in this area is fairly mild in September so staying warm shouldn't be an issue.

Thanks in advance.
PS I'm stoked and ready!:biggrin:
 

HankAZ

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Hey everyone, I'm new to the forums and soon will be new to apple. I will be owning an iphone for the first time after using Android and Android devices for many years. I have no knocks on Android but with apple's advances and especially apple pay I feel it's time to give Apple a try. Seeing this is my first iphone, I want the FULL experience. No pre-orders for me, I will be camping out the night before and waiting on-line to grab one at the apple store.

I live in the DC area so with at least 4-5 stores to choose from it's just a matter of which one I will go to, more than likely it will be the store in Bethesda, MD. For those who have camped out before, what has been your experiences as far as time I should get there, what to bring to stay busy, etc, etc. Weather in this area is fairly mild in September so staying warm shouldn't be an issue.

Thanks in advance.
PS I'm stoked and ready!:biggrin:

Not familiar with the Apple stores anywhere but in Phoenix. My Apple store is inside a mall, so there’s no "weather" issues. It’s a freaking party atmosphere in most cases. People are excited and generally friendly and helpful (stuff like holding your place in line for bathroom breaks, etc). My local store is always crowded - especially so for product launches. Get there early - possibly 12-18 hours ahead. Bring whatever you need to survive for that time frame. The store typically opens at 8 am on launch day, but prior to that (starting about 6 am), the Apple employees show up and start passing out snacks (health bars, etc) and water. They get into the experience as much as the customers.
 

pr1nce

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I've never camped out waiting to buy anything. I agree with HankAZ, get there early and be prepared. Most of all, have fun and enjoy your new iPhone 6!
 

Iamthat_dude

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Yeah, I figured I would get there at about 9,10 pm the night before. Bring some books, chair and have some snacks on hand to keep me busy. Since this is my first experience with the iphone might as well GO BIG!
 

Iamthat_dude

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I've never camped out waiting to buy anything. I agree with HankAZ, get there early and be prepared. Most of all, have fun and enjoy your new iPhone 6!

Yeah, i keep hearing how fun it can be just meeting new people who are just as excited and having fun. First time for everything :)
 

Danny Olivo

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Every Apple fan should do it at least once. I preorder and wait in line just for the fun of it. It's like hanging out with 100+ of your friends that all love talking about one of your favorite things. When I did the 4, it was like a red carpet affair at the Apple store. Apple usually makes it a great event, complete with cheering when the doors open, high fives, water and snacks. Unfortunately, I can't do it this year, but if I could, i'd be out there. Do it, have fun, then share your story !
 

anon4757448

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Yeah, I figured I would get there at about 9,10 pm the night before. Bring some books, chair and have some snacks on hand to keep me busy. Since this is my first experience with the iphone might as well GO BIG!

For the 5S launch, I got in line at about 11:20 am. There was snacks, drinks, and a lot of fun interacting with people. It took about 2.5 hours but at least I've experienced it.

I have a bad ankle so I can't say that I'll do it again as it was very sore when I got home. I think you'll enjoy it.
 

HankAZ

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Yeah, i keep hearing how fun it can be just meeting new people who are just as excited and having fun. First time for everything :)

I’ve done it a couple of times - iPhone 4 and iPad 1. Everyone should experience it at least once. However, at this point, I can honestly say "been there, done that". At this point, I just pre-order and wait for the UPS/FedEx guy. :)
 

Iamthat_dude

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Every Apple fan should do it at least once. I preorder and wait in line just for the fun of it. It's like hanging out with 100+ of your friends that all love talking about one of your favorite things. When I did the 4, it was like a red carpet affair at the Apple store. Apple usually makes it a great event, complete with cheering when the doors open, high fives, water and snacks. Unfortunately, I can't do it this year, but if I could, i'd be out there. Do it, have fun, then share your story !

That's the plan, hopefully I will have enough battery strength to put together a little live thread on imore to keep those who care or want to know on my progress. Attach some pics and other in line stories, that would be pretty cool.
 

Ledsteplin

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Welcome to iMore! The closest Apple Store to me is 80+ miles. Only 2 stores in Alabama! And DC has over 5 stores? I'll be buying from Verizon in January!


Sent from my ancient but trustworthy iPhone 5
 

Iamthat_dude

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Welcome to iMore! The closest Apple Store to me is 80+ miles. Only 2 stores in Alabama! And DC has over 5 stores? I'll be buying from Verizon in January!


Sent from my ancient but trustworthy iPhone 5

Wow, yeah here in the DMV (DC, MD & VA area) there are roughly about 5-6 apple stores withing 30 miles of each other, no BS
 

anon(4698833)

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My niece is getting her first iPhone this year (she's 10, and while I don't condone such a youngster having an iPhone, it wasn't my decision to make in the end)...she wants to go wait at the local Apple store and experience that. Normally I would never even consider it and would just do an online pre-order, but I have considered doing it for her so long as she sticks it out the entire time with me, lol!

I'm still very much weighing that option though, and the more I think about it, the less appealing it seems, even to see her get an iPhone for the first time and experiencing all that chaos and excitement.

We've got 3 within 10min. of downtown Atlanta, so I'm just kind of gauging which one I'd want to spend several hours camped outside of. Two of them have waiting inside, which is nice since our summer isn't over yet, LOL!
 

JakePleasants

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My Apple store is an hour away, so I go to my nearest Verizon store, which is about ten minutes away. Last year I got there at 5:25am and I was second in line. This time I'm going at 5am in hopes of being first. I really enjoyed it, but I don't think I could do it all night. A few hours is fine, though. I could wait longer if I had a clean bill of health, but my kidney stones never let me off easy. I just took a comfortable foldable chair, water, and my meds and I was set. Of course I had my old phone with me too for entertainment, but I didn't use it much.
 

Iamthat_dude

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Now with all this talk of being able to pre-order on line and pick up in the store, it has me wondering..............But na, again, I'm new to the game so I'm going all in
 

Flow39

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I'm getting to my local store 14 hours early, but that's because I want the best chance I can to be 1st in line :D
 

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