by Ryan Block, posted Jul 10th 2008 at 12:53AM
With just seven hours to go out here in New Zealand before the first worldwide iPhone 3G launch (yeah, we flew all the way out for it), the line at the Auckland Vodafone store is growing steadily but surely. Everyone’s in high spirits, despite the fact that it’s winter here in the southern hemisphere, and they can’t as easily get away with that whole hippie line-sitter thing like in New York. We’ll check back in soon as we get our international iPhone 3G launch lineblog started.
#1
Name: Jonny Gladwell, 22 (pictured above, right)
Current phone: Sony Ericsson K800i on Voda
Waiting for: more than 48 hours now
Buying: black 8GB
Motivation: to be the first, duh! His girlfriend is just in it to keep him company, she’s not actually getting one herself. Jonny tells us he’s not going to eBay the world’s first iPhone 3G, though. Whatever, dude!
#2
Name: Evert Bruyns, 25 (pictured above, left)
Current phone: garbage, old school Nokia
Waiting for: more than 46 hours
Buying: two black 8GBs, one to give away to the last person in line that doesn’t get theirs (aww!), the other to give away on his site, WishCollector.
#3
Name: Annie Ryan, 26 (standing in for her fiancé)
His current phone: Sony Ericsson P910i on Voda
Waiting for: 34 hours
Buying: black 8GB
Her MIA fiancé: dude apparently desperately needs an iPhone, but couldn’t wait in line as not only was he expected at work, but their car was towed. Bummer. Clearly he owes Annie big time for waiting.
#4
Name: Luke Soules, 24
Current phone: first-gen iPhone
All the way out from: San Louis Obispo, California, which makes him the only other American as foolhardy as us to fly out for this thing.
Buying: black 8GB
Motivation: plans to do the first iPhone 3G teardown for his site, iFixit. We’ll undoubtedly be linking to it!
#5
Name: John Ballinger, 30
Current phone: first-gen iPhone, hardware-hacked on Voda
Waiting for: 8 hours
Buying: 16GB (still deciding on color)
Motivation: mobile developer who’s already got applications submitted to Apple for the App Store.
Thoughts on Voda’s rate plans: “They suck,” and he plans to buy his outright for $1,129 NZD so he doesn’t have to use the iPhone-specific plans.
#6
Name: Brian Foose, 28 (pictured above, right)
Current phone: first-gen iPhone, “unlocked” with SIM hack on Voda
Waiting for: 8 hours
Buying: black 16GB
Thoughts on Voda’s rate plans: “Insane, absolute crap.” Sounds like he’ll also be keeping his regular Voda plan.
#7
Name: Steve Simms, 38 (pictured above, middle)
Current phone: first-gen iPhone, software unlocked on Voda
Waiting for: 12 hours (we don’t know how Brian Foose ganked his spot)
Buying: (3) black 8GB
#8
Name: Ben Lilley, 19 (pictured above, left)
Current phone: first-gen iPhone, AnySIM-unlocked on Voda
Waiting for: 12 hours
Buying: black 8GB
#9
Name: James MacFarlane, 18
Current phone: first-gen iphone, AnySIM-unlocked on Voda
Waiting for: 2 hours (that’s the way you do it!)
Buying: black 8GB — same as his pal, #8, Ben Lilley
Thoughts on Voda’s rate plans: “Not a big deal, it’s all sweet.” Given his current usage, he’ll only be paying $30 NZD more than he’s paying now.
#10
Name: Khai Thay, 22
Current phone: N95 — and he doesn’t like it at all
Waiting for: 30 minutes
Buying: black 16GB
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