It happened again last night. I was in the middle of a conversation with someone which eventually turned to the iPhone, and before long I was asked the question: “So do you have an iPhone yet?”
It’s not because they think I broke into Apple’s Cupertino headquarters and nabbed one while no one was looking. And it’s not because they think Uncle Steve quietly slipped me a pre-production iPhone model sometime between giving one to Walt Mossberg and using another to make Bill Gates weep. It’s because they think the iPhone is already shipping.
So this is what happens when you announce one of the most highly-anticipated products of the decade a full six months before it actually goes on sale. And for the record, it worked. Is there anyone, anywhere, not talking about it? I mean sure, Apple’s running a television spots, but that’s more or less icing on the word of mouth cake at this point. It doesn’t really even matter what anyone’s saying about it, now does it, so long as they’re saying something about it. A few minutes ago Carson Daly just ran an iPhone spoof announcing that “This is a piece of crap” and as a result twelve thousand more people probably just decided to camp out overnight to be the first to buy one when it goes on sale in two weeks.
I’d love to see Apple release some hard data on just how many people are walking into an Apple Store each day trying to buy one. And for that matter, I’d love to know how many of those folks are instead walking out of the store with an armful of other Apple products when they hear “July 29th” and think “Hmm, I need something else with an Apple logo on it to play with in the mean time.”
In fact, if the iPhone gets delayed beyond its June release date, I suspect Apple Store employees could try to placate the less-informed among the iPhone seekers by simply picking up any random computer part laying in the back room of the store, slapping an “iPhone” sticker on it, claiming it’s an actual iPhone, and selling it for the full $499 plus a two year contract. I can just see some technophobe walking down Hollywood Boulevard trying to figure out why he’s not getting better cell phone reception on the refurbished wireless router he’s holding to his ear.
It’s almost as if Apple has created so much wall to wall iPhone hype that they don’t actually have to ever bring the product to market in order to sell it. “June 29th? We meant June 29th of some year, just not this year. But feel free to keep hyping it in the mean time.” Somewhere right now, Andy Kaufman is watching and wondering, “Why didn’t I think of that?”
I can’t say that I blame people for their confusion. With this many people talking iPhone, how could a casual observer think it’s not already on the market? I wouldn’t be surprised if there aren’t a few people out there who think they’re actually using an iPhone right now.
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