John GruberiPhone 15 Eve, Apple Store Walnut Street, 1am: zero campers, a dozen busy staffers.
Video killed the radio star.
Pre-orders killed the campouts.
Paul McGrane@gruber aw c'mon. I was just at my local Apple Store on Thursday (unrelated to iPhone). I saw the new cases on display (probably they shouldn't have been). And a guy noticed how I knew how to open the drawers.
We talked and he was shocked that I told him every store probably will have hundreds of un-reserved iPhones for sale on Friday! I told him come back in the morning!
Tom Moors
Mike Lechter@lechter @gruber a freight train company is always the first (and only) commercial on PBS NewsHour. They are proud how economical with fuel per mile.
Ocean shipping of iPhones is even better MPG. But imagine a full twenty-foot-equiv container of iPhones washing overboard and then turning up on a beach someday like Garfield telephones‽ 🤑
Aeron@gruber "Presells came and broke your heart, they all paid with their credit cards..."
Adam Bell 
@gruber truly end of an era :/
Arne | CodeNaga@gruber future generations will tell the stories of the nights before the launches, when they had already preordered and waited in camping chairs in front of the stores until those finally opened and then went back home to happily receive their iPhone parcel via postal services.
YJ Soon@gruber Lots of campers here in Singapore, probably because it’s not available in a bunch of surrounding countries. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/i-queue-i-buy-i-sell-new-iphone-15s-being-sold-online-soon-after-official-launch-here
Mark G. Davis 
@gruber but did not kill the Gruber from taking a stroll.
multigreg@gruber It worked brilliantly in the early years to generate media exposure and a sense of occasion. Nowadays, the premium proposition is an improved iPhone delivered reliably every year with a minimum of fuss.
chris overcash
Dani B. 
@gruber I think phones getting boring killed the campouts
Delric
Timber
Albert Kinng@gruber Good one! 🤣
Nick@gruber I know you’re not a gamer but it’s (mostly) the same with game launches. Lining up for the Halos, GTAs and Zeldas was always a fun experience. It’s undoubtedly more convenient to wait for a digital unlock at midnight but it’s certainly not the same as it was.
RG
Technodad@gruber Phones? Who remembers standing in line for a OS X box release, and getting a t-shirt for being in the first 100 in line.
DHa@gruber People can camp out from home now
Chuck O'Rourke:verified:@gruber Still lines though. I was just at mine. Two lines. One for in-store pick ups and the other to buy. Both reasonable.
I was looking at 15 pro colors. The titanium is a little darker than I would like. I was expecting like raw aluminum.
Thank god for the titanium. I really, didn’t want the stainless steel.