iPhone Frenzy
With Apple’s iPhone just released this past Friday, I’d be remiss if I didn’t talk about the sales and frenzy surrounding it. AT&T Wireless prepared for the June 29th launch by boosting up the training for their in-store employees, and even hired an additional 2,000 temporary employees to deal with the anticipated onslaught of new business. An AT&T spokesperson told CNN, “We’re used to handling crowds… We were the first company to introduce the RAZR … We know how to do this. The iPhone [launch] is different in degree but not in kind.”
Interestingly enough, prior to the launch on Friday, AT&T has not advertised the iPhone. Either they think that lying low will build a bigger buzz or hope that the prior public court battles over the name “iPhone” is all the marketing they need in a there’s-no-such-thing-as-bad-publicity line of thinking.
Preparing themselves for a rash of listings, eBay tightened up the reins on iPhone listing rules. They banned sellers from listing the iPhone prior to the official launch on Friday, and issued the following requirements for the postings: ”The listing must include a unique photograph of the iPhone; Your User ID must be clearly displayed within the photograph (watermarks will not be accepted); To ensure buyer protection, PayPal must be the only accepted form of payment.”
So just how brisk were sales? So far, mum’s the word, but an analyst estimated to CNNMoney.com that they may have reached 500,000 on opening weekend. So the big question … did you spring for it? And if so, was it worth it?