I had always promised myself to get the new iPhone if it came with a better camera. After watching WWDC I was convinced that it was a must get upgrade. Then I downloaded the 3.0 firmware… and my desire to upgrade began to diminish. 3.0 is awesome. The software alone was such a great upgrade that I was thinking twice, three times about actually getting the 3GS.
What to do… what to do??
I mulled it over and over, weighing pros and cons. But lust runs strong in my veins and I capitulated. On Thursday the 18th of June I ordered my iPhone 3GS (Black - I have a white 3G), and the long wait began.
Well the long bloody process of buying an iPhone began. It took 25-30 minutes to go through all the paperwork, ticking boxing, the guy explaining to me the different options packs that you must subscribe to if you want a fully functioning iPhone 3GS. After getting out of there before starvation and dehydration became a real issue I could now begin the 1 week and 1 day wait.
Of course the following day the phone was released in America and I got to listen to all of the lovely news from America. What podcasters, bloggers and Joe the Plumber Blow thought. Reviews were mostly good, with some issues emerging during the week. And I saw a few videos of the iPhone 3GS in side by side comparisons with the 3G.
The speed of the 3GS was apparent. My excitement, like a mouse who had just broken into a swiss cheese factory, was building.
Friday the 26th came and I found myself outside Yodobashi at the ridiculous time of 8.30am (I rarely leave home before 10.. one of the advantages of my job here in Sapporo).
Sidenote - Wow.. Sapporo really does have a peak hour.. I was shocked to see so many people out and about on their way to work.
A couple of Softbank guys were standing outside the very closed store. Handing out time reservation cards to those who wanted them. I was the second person to get a card, my time 9.30 - I was to be one of the first in Sapporo with a new iPhone 3GS.
If you must know every detail - I killed time with a visit to Starbucks.
Back at the store I was first in line, first in store and first served. This however did not equal first out of the store and the first 3GS activation. Even though the girl had a tag around her neck saying “iPhone Master”, I’d say the only thing she was “Master of” was the space she was occupying. Everything she did had to be double checked and double checked again.
What really surprised me was that even though I had done all the paperwork 1 week before, I basically had to do it all again. And it wasn’t just me, everybody there (11 at one time) was redoing the paperwork. What the hell had we achieved with all that work pre ordering. We may as well have just given our names and telephone numbers.
It would appear that AT&T don’t have a monopoly on lousy customer service/experience. Apple really do know how to pick their carriers.
(At least Australians get a choice of who is going to screw them).
Truth be told if the iPhone became available on docomo I would switch promptly - I hate Softbank!!
I got home to do the lengthy restore from backup and syncing. My iPhone completed it’s job with just enough time for me to do a trial run against some games to check the speed. Which impressed me greatly!
I have now spent one day with the iPhone and I am convinced that this upgrade is pure gold.
If you were thinking about it, and have the funds, I would definitely recommend the upgrade.
Next post - The Review.
