iPhone 6 launches to enthusiastic crowds

At long last, the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus handsets are out.

Down at the Apple Store location on University Avenue in Palo Alto, the line attendees, led by Abdul Karim of Fremont, California, were more than ready. Karim, who had set up a lawn chair outside the Apple Store early Tuesday afternoon, appeared relaxed and ready the day before the iPhone 6 launch, spending time camping out in the line with his brother, Faz.

“We could have pre-ordered it, but it’s just time bonding with my brother, my cousin’s here with me too, so we’re having fun just camping out together,” said Karim. “Apple’s been fantastic. They’ve been telling us ‘if you need anything, water, umbrellas, whatever, just request it.’ Other than that, it’s Palo Alto, it’s a nice area, it’s fun.”

When asked what the most compelling feature of the iPhone 6 for him was, he commented as to the larger screen, its overall size and presence.

“The whole product just looks amazing,” said Karim.

“I showed up a few hours after my brother on Tuesday, about 6 PM I’d say,” said Faz Karim. “I’ve been sleeping here every night and it’s been a trip. Let’s just call it a trip.”

When asked as to the most compelling reason for his iPhone 6 purchase, he simply cited space constraints on his current iPhone.

“My biggest problem with my old iPhone 5s was the memory,” said Faz Karim. “I’m going with the 128 gigabyte model, especially with that new camera. I love recording videos and taking pictures.”

When PowerPage staff arrived at the Palo Alto location yesterday afternoon around 1 PM, it found a line of roughly 30 attendees, most with lawn chairs to sit in, passing the time with books, smartphones and talking with each other to pass the time. The line, which was apparently being tended to by Apple Store staff, had been given at least one free case of bottled water as well as assorted umbrellas to help contend with the heat.

As the wait settled in, line attendees contended with somewhat puzzled looks, questions as to why they were in line, comments of support and the occasional teasing/insult from a steady stream of passers by. Even so, the line remained in good spirits until early morning of the 19th when attendees holding spots for friends contended with veteran line attendees as to who had arrived at what time and where to place the new arrivals, even if their friends had been holding spots for them.

Perhaps the most obscure – yet greatest – story of the Palo Alto Apple Store iPhone 6 line, as reported by PowerPage founder Jason O’Grady, was the silencing of a restaurant music speaker that continued to blare its music long after the restaurant had closed. Per O’Grady, a line resident responded to the music by climbing onto a building structure and manually disconnecting the speaker to the applause of dozens of line attendees watching his actions.

Despite some friction as to places in line, especially where an unknown amount of iPhone 6 inventory inside the store was concerned, the launch went well with Apple Store employees handing out white “You’re Almost There” reservation cards for attendees to mark the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus models they were interested in purchasing, handing out coffee and water to line attendees and cheering to pump up the crowd once the front doors finally opened to allow customers in.

Once inside, the purchase and setup process appears to have gone smoothly for most customers, an improvement on something that Apple’s had foibles with in the past. During the course of the morning, Apple CEO Tim Cook entered the store. Cook, followed by a swarm of fans and media, entered like a rock star in a manner that hasn’t been since Steve Jobs’ passing and granted a quick selfie with PowerPage founder Jason O’Grady before moving on to his next stop.

Not bad for an early Friday morning.

If you have any iPhone 6 launch line stories, pictures or anecdotes of your own, please let us know in the comments.