David Chen. Mazen Kourouche. Richard Wheatcroft and George Horne.
You’re forgiven if you don’t recognize these names. But each of them, in their own way, got their 15 minutes of fame by being the first in line for a new iPhone.
Mazen was the first person on the entire planet to get his hands on a new iPhone 8 when the new model went on sale in September in Sydney, Australia.
For Richard and George, it was the new iPhone 5 coming out in late 2012 that persuaded them to grab the front spot in the queue outside the Apple Store on London’s Regent Street.
And David? The 42-year-old was first in line early Friday at the store on Fifth Avenue in New York City, not taking any chances that the iPhone X would sell out before he got his eager hands on one.
Today’s the day for standing in line for a new iPhone. It’s a time-honored tradition, a curious sort of high-tech musical chairs where the victor gets the Apple spoils by lining up before a line even exists.
Through the years, being first in an Apple line has made minor celebrities of everyday fanboys and fangirls. The tradition has spawned countless You Tube videos and put nobodies on the 6-o’clock news where they magically became somebodies. And, thanks to the hysteria drummed up worldwide by Apple’s crack marketing squad, each first-person-in-line has gotten to tell their story to the world with the help of news reporters who are drawn to that same front of the line like lemmings to the Sea of Steve Jobs.
Today, as people line up around the world for the X, let us honor some of those hardy souls who just had to get their new iPhone before anyone else, those pioneers of early-adoption, those pathfinders and trailblazers squatting in first place with a dirty sleeping bag, a bag of munchies and, in the case of the iPhone X, $999 to take their place in history.
Who: David Chen
What line: Fifth Avenue, New York City
The back story: Originally from China, this New York City resident was seduced by the design of the new iPhone X. Told by a pal that he wouldn’t be able to get one of the phones until – quelle horreur! – Thanksgiving, Chen decided to get in line early.
Who: Justin Harris
What line: Apple’s new store on Union Square in San Francisco
The back story: Harris told USA Today that he was in line for one reason: He had passed on getting the iPhone 8 released in September and wanted to make sure he got the X, custom-made “for those of us who want a geeky phone.”
Who: Richard Wheatcroft and George Horne
What line: Regent Street, London
The back story: These two young entrepreneurs spent eight long days and nights at the head of the queue for the iPhone 5 in 2012. But it wasn’t the new phone they were after. Instead, the guys teamed up with an online marketplace platform in a fundraising stunt: selling their first-in-line status to to the highest bidder, the pair raised money for a local charity.
Who: Mazen Kourouche
What line: Sydney, Australia
The back story: Determined to be the first person on the planet get an iPhone 8, Kourouche camped out in front of the Apple store days before the phone was even launched. The software development student ended up spending a total of 10 days in line before the iPhone 8 came out on September 22. He had two friends on hand to keep his place during restroom breaks and he survived the wait, he told Travel + Leisure, with “food, a tent, a camping chair, and supplies.”
Who: Klaus Bandisch
What line: Chestnut Street, San Francisco
The back story: There are two of them: This app developer was not only the first guy in line for the iPhone 6s, telling SFGate that he camped out nearly 24 hours for the bragging rights — but Bandisch was also the top dog a year earlier when he was first in line on Chestnut for the iPhone 6 Plus. “You want something bad enough,” he said, “you got to do it.”
