O.k., so I was excited about getting a new phone today, the 3G iPhone, but I'm not one that has to be the first to obtain a product.  I'm not materialistic.  I just wanted a new phone since I was up for replacing my 20th c. phone (that needs a new lightbulb, and therefore is blank right now!!!) with the new iPhone, but alas, I was disillusioned with my beloved Macintosh folks after seeing that the iPhone rollout began with a marketing scam, as I see it.  You see, I arrived at a location where I had pre-registered with ATT the day before, this a.m. around 9:00.

There was a line (to be expected) of about 20-ish people.  The registration took some time, so the line moved very slowly.  By 9:30, one of the managers came out to inform us that I was in a part of the line that would not be receiving an iphone today since their stock would be depleted.  WHAT?!?!?! After asking how many folks had received the phone & figuring how many folks were in front of me, I figured that the store only received about 80 phones.  Immediately, I figured that this tact would enable Apple to brag about selling out the iPhones within the first couple hours.  However, it doesn't reveal the reality that undershipments were made.  I mean, come on, why only ship 80 phones to a location (when all ATT locations would not be selling the iPhones)?  Why wouldn't they ship an overabundance to each store, assuming that they would eventually sell?  Obviously, this way they hold the power to publicize this sell-out in such a way that attracts even more customers who might think: "what am I missing out on, that so many others waited for and lost out on?"  It's rather simple, clever(?) marketing, and from an outsider's perspective, I can see the plan, but from someone who wanted a damn iphone today, this game sucks!  Come on Mac, you're more mature than this...at least I thought so before...