We got to the mall at 6:15 and to my utter surprise, we were sitting in a line behind at least 100 people. There were other dads and moms with kids, business professionals ready to go to office, young couples, people with colorful hair, and people from all walks of life standing or sitting in line. The Apple team was out walking around with bottled water, coffee, and breakfast from Einstein Bros Bagels. As I looked around I saw a few things in common among all of us. All of us either had an iPhone or an iPod in hand and some of us were sitting with Macs or iPads on our lap, but there was no one with a PC around. I am starting to understand that it was the coming out of the cult of iPhone followers. All of us could have waited for two weeks to get the new iPhone without any line or wait, but somehow all of us felt it was important to come out and show our support for the favorite “working toy” in our life. Now that I get it, I am surprised that there was no one with their face painted; no banners or cheering. I guess we, the iPhone gang, are a group of somewhat quiet introverts who were just happy to be there.
The store opened a few minutes before 7a.m. and iPhone sales started at 9a.m. Even if I couldn't have gotten my iPhone that morning, I was glad I was there, out with my daughter and my niece, out with other members of the iPhone gang. I get it. This is what brand insistence is. We were not there for a phone, we were not there for an upgrade, we were there to celebrate a way of life around our Macs, our iPods, our iPhones, and our iPads that we all discovered in our own ways. Marketing gurus may call it a brand insistence but to me it is truly a way of life.
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