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Apple preps for iPhone frenzy Friday

Special to amNewYork

July 9, 2008

Pierre-Etienne Dabernat, 37, of Los Angeles, CA (left), Dries Den Outer, 12, of Amsterdam, Holland (center), and Jan Den Outer, 15 of Amsterdam, Holland (right) take a look at the 2nd generation iPhone selection at the Apple Store in the Meatpacking District in Manhattan on July 8, 2008. Apple's 3rd Generation iPhone is due out July 11, 2008. (Photo by RJ Mickelson/amNY / July 8, 2008)

When you get to the Apple store for your new iPhone there are some protocols to follow.

First, look for the person in the orange shirt; this is the Concierge who will direct you to the iPhone bay. At the iPhone bay a Specialist will help you choose your phone and set it up.

These are the procedures outlined at www.apple.com to bring order to the frenzy that is sure to stir at Apple stores starting 8 a.m. Friday, when the iPhone 3G starts selling.

Of course, if you want to avoid the hype you might find the AT&T stores slightly less hectic. They will also start selling the iPhone at 8 a.m. Friday, but with more locations there's a chance the lines will be shorter.

"There won't be any crazy lines," predicted Matt Buchanan, associate editor at Gizmodo.com. "It's just not cool to camp out in front of AT&T stores."

However, consumers should also be aware that last summer AT&T store's around the country sold out the weekend of the original iPhone's release. It was estimated a half-million iPhones were sold that first weekend.

For people, who don't do lines it might be best to wait a day. Last time around, the days following the release were reportedly far easier to handle at Apple stores. The company said on its Web site it will restock shelves with iPhones almost daily, and people can check availability online.

There are two main draws of the iPhone 3G: its price, starting at $199, and faster Internet access.

This week Apple fans hanging around the store on Fifth Avenue said they'd be buying the phone. Among them were a few tourists from countries where the new iPhone will work. Unlike with the original iPhone, many countries are ready to carry service for it.

"I'm getting it before I get back," said Abdullah Demir, 25, in town from Ankara, Turkey, and he expects to be in line Friday.

Mark Brooks and Rebecca Wolfson contributed to this report.