Hey Bryan, the post isn't about iPhones, iPads or any other consumer item.  Rather it's about the stupidity of camping out for days on end in the elements to purchase something that could be purchased instore or online sometime later without the inconvenience.

So, it's not about your device choices or anyone else's, no, not at all.  In fact, the whole thing was intended as a tongue-in-cheek bit of fun about a crazy fad that seems to be growing.

And yeah, Jafo is right... consumerism is a disease that's consuming Western society, with lots of new shit that's more about waste than sensible use of resources.  It's one thing for technology to advance for the betterment of mankind, but technology for technology's sake is more about greed, waste, keeping up with the Jonses, etc.

Childish need, LOL. Maybe you should accept people are not machines and value stuff beyond its practical meaning. If someone works from 9 to 5 all year long, perhaps he wants once in a while to indulge himself with a new phone, even if his old one is still going strong...because it would actually make him happy? Or it would make happy someone else he cares about?  Somebody else would perhaps spend the money on a nice holiday, but people have all kinds of different desires and priorities...all of which can you label as "childish needs".

The other thing, especially iPhone, is a beautiful piece of machinery, not a screw driver. It has certain aesthetical value to it and by that virtue it does concern human emotion. One would think, you of all people, as an architect, can appreciate this and understand why people may desire beauty in their lives.

i was an iphone user for years. the last one i had was a 4s. i now use what i consider to be a far superior phone, the nokia lumia 1520. i also own a surface pro 2 (or surface 2 pro, whatever it's called. i really want a surface 3 pro but can't afford one right now) and an ipad air. i don't knock people who camp out waiting for the new iphone just as i don't knock the people who wait in line for days for black friday sales. if they're willing to do that, more power to them. do i think it's rather silly? yeap, i sure do. would i do it nowadays? nope, not a chance. i might if i was in my 20s but i'm too old for that now.

<tongue in cheek>why in the world would anyone want a sofa covered in fabric? leather is the only way to go! although, a really nice dark tan cloth fabric like i have on my couch and one of my recliners would be cool.</tongue in cheek>

where's frosty?

I just waited for the FedEx guy to deliver mine.  

LOL, the hatred for an electronic device.

Quoting Uvah, reply 8

One person actually broke down and cried when he was removed from the line. I'm glad I don't have that problem. My safe link phone is good enough. I get 250 free minutes and texts every month. These other dudes gots to pay through the nose. 

End of Uvah's quote

yes, safelink, way to go! 

That is a matter of opinion... and we know the old saying about everyone having one.  To me, my Nokia Lumia 820 is a better, more beautiful phone than an iPhone.  I looked at both before buying and chose the one that best suited my needs and aesthetic appreciation.  The Nokia won out because it gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling all over and the iPhone didn't.

Anyway, the thread isn't so much about iPhones or Apple products - any products in particular, for that matter - but about having a bit of fun.  Yes, I used the queuing for iPhones as a starting point [gotta start somewhere, and why not something current and ridiculous], but the whole idea was to inject some humour into the forums, hence the multiple smilies to announce my intent, to denote humour/tongue-in-cheek.

Sadly, it has gone off the rails and has become a 'this is about me, my choices' thread.  I mean, really?  Doesn't anybody know how to take a joke or have fun anymore? 

Well, considering these days you are able to order stuff online and have it delivered directly to you it does seem rather silly to be lining up outside in the cold for consumer electronics =P

It's rather 'narrow' to simplify 'architecture' as an understanding [appreciation] of beauty.....about as simplistic as classifying a doctor as 'a Porsche owner'.

Architecture isn't just about aesthetics...but more importantly about social design and redesign.  How the shape/growth/development of cities is allowed to evolve.

You know....ghettos are not just an unfortunate breakdown of social ideals....they're living testament to failures of Architects' vision/s.

Tenement housing becomes slum....another of those chicken-and-egg issues.

All that being the case, you tend to balance the desire for crass bling against resources sustainability.  The ultimate example of consumerism-gone-bad is the bulldozing of brand new [never even been lived-in] residential developments because some bean-counter decides they're not going to be commercially viable AFTER the fucking things are built.

In 1972 a 20 storey building went up in London....and it was decided to leave it empty...because all it needed was a care-taker and the Govt. of the time would compensate the developers more than rental and wear and tear.

Again fucking absurd.

Meanwhile, lemmings are hell-bent on dumping their recent 'stuff' just  so they can have MORE-recent 'stuff'.

Look up on the net how many million tons per day of electronic 'waste' becomes land-fill .... then re-evaluate this yearning for 'bling'.

Sorry...but I've been an Architect for too bloody long...and am too bloody disillusioned.  I know nothing will change simply because it hasn't already.

certain buzzwords just trigger the same responses every single time.

i am not sure every member here would pass a Turing test.

Quoting moshi, reply 34

certain buzzwords just trigger the same responses every single time.

i am not sure every member here would pass a Turing test.

End of moshi's quote

Fuck Turing......

Oh.....thought there for a moment you'd said 'Tourettes' ....;)

island dog has abandoned windows phones already?

ID changes allegiance to phones more frequently than I change my undies...

...which may or may not be a good thing....

Yep, needed a phone that developers care about and develop for.  I'll write more about that soon.

ID's post about the Nokia Lumia 920 being the best phone he'd owned is about 2 years old now, me thinks it be time fer some fresh jocks, don't you?

That's if yer can peel 'em off.

Another reason I wouldn't queue up for days on end to get an appliance/gadget, apart from being too feching old, is that I don't necessarily have to have something yesterday.

About 7 weeks ago I purchased a new 55" Smart TV knowing full well it wouldn't ship until Sept 30th, meaning I will receive it around Oct 2nd -3rd.  It saved me 600 bucks on the recommended retail price by pre-ordering so far in advance, so yeah, the 8 weeks wait is worth it to me. 

Like I said, I don't have to have it yesterday.  Maybe with age comes arthritis and other aches and pains, which is why you don't see us old fogies queuing up like that.  However, with age also comes greater patience and a bit more wisdom... so we can wait for stuff and have more sense than to get cold arses camping out on cold, hard pavements overnight, etc

Plus, time just seems to go faster the older you get, so 8 weeks seems like nothing.  When I was a kid, that was an eternity.

I never said architecture is just about beauty/aesthetics, ofc is it not. But beauty is an integral part of it, after all architecture/design is form of art, like a music. Thats why one would expect you as an expert in this field to be more attuned to it than ordinary people.

In regard to ghettos, no, they are not problem of architects, they are problem of society. And architects are NOT social engineers. If you considered yourself to be one and thats why you are disillusioned now, then perhaps that simplistic view would do you a world of good. 

The lemmings have emotions and those are more important to them than rational thoughts about long-term sustainability or electronic waste. Nothing will ever change precisely because of this and you should embrace it, as its as natural as rainforest.

@starkers> sorry to derail your thread, but this is serious business, you should have known better . At least this thread keeps going, even if no exactly how you envisioned. BTW, i never said iPhone is more beautiful than Nokia. I mean, to me it is, but i can understand why you like Nokias design more, it has its strong points as well.

I guess you werent happy with Skype being shut down for Win 7 phones? My sister found out she cant use it anymore on her Lumia 800 - and ofc such phone cant be updated to Win 8. So the only solution is to buy a new phone - i can already tell it wont be a Windows phone.

Brilliant thinking by Microsoft. 

Ouch, hadn't heard that.  That blows.

It's all opinion here.  Seems wrong to denigrate people for their opinions (stupid, sheep).  .02

Looking forward to ID's review of the iPhone6 & iOS8.  My son is on iOS 8 on his 4s and Mavericks on his MacBook - so far, he's lukewarm about the the new software, says iOS8 still has stability issues which were present in pre-release versions and he expects an 8.1 update will be coming soon.

We talk of sheep only to awaken RnD from his torpor.

iOS 8.1 ... hmmm. Looks like MS OS envy. Classic case.  

Just for laughs -

Muppets...

With improvements in lightweight carbon fiber & battery technologies, the iPhone20 will be as light as the iPhone6 & double as a Segway-style levitation-based transporter.

I wonder if they've fixed the software issue that was causing the sound to fail?