Reporting from the front lines: Register reporter Sonya Smith, #10 #13 in line (a few people cut overnight), waited 26 hours to buy an iPhone at the Apple store at the Irvine Spectrum. Was it worth the wait?

Friday, 6:23 p.m., 23 minutes after iPhones went on sale: I haven’t opened them up yet. They’re pretty frickin’ cool. I’m going to do the video unwrapping at home.

Right before 6 p.m., people were screaming. It was really, really tense and people were nervous that they weren’t going to get one. I was really nervous, like there was going to be a fight. Everyone was packed around the Apple store asking “What’s going on in there?”

Employees tore down the black paper in the store windows and everyone was screaming with craziness. There were 4-foot working models of the iPhone in the store windows displaying the numeric count down. And everyone started counting down together. People were chanting, “iPhone, iPhone.” And when the count reached zero, everyone was screaming like crazy. They opened the doors right away.

Inside the store, they cleared away all the usual stuff and there were only iPhones. Employees were all over the store, clapping, giving us high-fives. And then a lady sent us to different counters, like the Genius Bar, and they just pulled the iPhone out of a drawer and rang you up.

When I got out of the store, everyone was screaming and clapping for you. It’s like it was a marathon. I did stay for 26 hours, so this was like my marathon for the iPhone.

Around 6:35 p.m.: Ben, who was about 70 to 80 in line, is now at the door waiting to get in. The line stretches past Forever 21 to the fountain. People are just walking by and getting in line. I�d say there were probably 200 people in line. I bet the people who paid others to get in line feel really dumb right now because they wasted $200. Nobody has opened them yet. People are just taking off.

I’m sure some people think I’m a dork. People who showed up this morning and didn’t sleep over are going to get their iPhone right now, no problem. And I feel like, yeh, I didn’t have to sleep over but it’s the experience. People I was in line were really smart. We had good conversations and good company. We were sharing iPhone rumors, excitement and anxiety. We had a great time except for being hot and sleeping on the ground. But I wouldn’t have been able to sleep anyway.

The employees don’t know how many iPhones are in there. People in line thought they were being mean but they were still brining in boxes of iPhones into the store when they opened the doors.

Earlier today, employees were wearing t-shirts with “iPhone countdown.” When the store opened, they were all wearing black t-shirts with, “Say hello to iPhone.”

There were goodies. Someone was giving out the Apple t-shirts but I didn’t get one. But I have an iPhone. That’s what I came here for. -Sonya

Read Sonya’s earlier posts:
Thursday, 2:19 p.m.: iPhone fever hits OC
Thursday, 5:24 p.m.: Lining up for the iPhone with Sonya
Thursday 6 p.m.: Inside the Apple store
Thursday, 7 p.m.: Slow day at T-Mobile?
Thursday, 7 to 8 p.m.: Photos from the iPhone front lines
Friday, 6 a.m. 12 more hours: It’s iPhone day!
Friday, 9 a.m. ish: Breakfast outside the Apple store
Friday, 9:30 a.m.: Where exactly is Sonya?
Friday, 11:31 a.m.: CNN is here!
Friday, 12:04 p.m. Beating the sun in front of the shadeless Apple store
Friday, 12:13 p.m. Watch Sonya get interviewed by SqueezeOC’s Matt Degen
Friday, 12:42 p.m. iPhone goodies show up online
Friday, 1:21 p.m.: Five hours to go and ready to pass out
Friday, 3:18 p.m.: Apple store closes! See the photos
Friday, 4:16 p.m. Two hours to go, anxiety sets in
Friday, 5:28 p.m. Making extra money

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