June 28th, 2007
Apple Store "Sleepover" for one reason only-to oversee iPhone arrival
The reported iPhone-driven Apple Sleepover” tonight is so transparent in cause I am surprised others haven’t seen through this smokescreen.
To review, and as AppleInsider tells us, this is all about at least two Apple Store employees spending all of tonight at their store. It must be deduced that cots have been secured for this purpose.
One of these two or more employees is said to be tasked with working security, ostensibly to guard the store against unruly crowds lining up out in the mall and in the street before store opening at 10 a.m. and re-opening for iPhone sales at 6 p.m.
Given that shopping malls often open up earlier than their stores do (to facilitate breakfast at the food court, medical office appointments, etc.) lines would be a concern. But see, you already have mall security for that.
What i am thinking is something else will be going on in the middle of the night at these Apple Stores. That would be the arrival of iPhones, via FedEx, probably in the wee small hours of the morning.
It will take at least one employee to oversee arrival of this shipment.
These units would come to the back doors of Apple Stores. Depending on mall configuration, these doors may or not be at the back side of the shopping center parking lot. In a street setting, you’d be looking at a loading dock.
Yes, I know that Apple Stores will be closed for four hours tomorrow from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. to set up iPhone displays. But do you really think mall management is going to allow the units to arrive at that point? Given the hype drive, could you just imagine the pandomonium?
No. I’m convinced that the iPhone units will be arriving at Apple Stores real early Friday morning- 1, 2 or 3 a.m. You can hire all the security you want, but it takes store employees to actually accept the units and secure them in a safe place prior to regular opening time of 10 a.m.
Russell Shaw is an enterprise computing journalist, analyst and author based in Portland, Oregon. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
