At The Knox Street Apple Store, Some iPhone Fans Are Taking Things To Extremes.
Across the country, people are already camping out for their chance to be among the first owners of the Apple iPhone 5, which earns its much-anticipated release this Friday. But, sitting third in line with a folding chair and equipped with a cooler at the Knox Street Apple store, Paul Watson isn't attracting quite the attention other campers normally might.
“I just sit back in the shadows,” Watson sheepishly says. “I don't want all the publicity.”
It's not like he's likely to get any, though. Those who are “glamping,” or glamorous camping (a new trend in luxury travel), just a few spots up from Watson and first in line, are stealing all of his shine.
“If we were going to do it,” says Sabrina Dee, who, along with four of her coworkers from local social media marketing firm Black Book Ink, has been “glamping out” for the new iPhone since 5 a.m. yesterday morning, “we were going to do it in style.”
To their credit, they are. Their sleeping arrangements last night were far from what one might consider “roughing it.” Around the corner from the Apple store, right out on McKinney Avenue and under the protection of a tent, the women shared two twin mattresses — complete with sheets and pillows to keep them extra cozy.
“We didn't get much sleep last night,” say Sarah Gottsacker, part of Black Book Ink's team in line. “We just stayed up talking all night.”
And today, well, they're just working, passing the time by promoting their firm and, per a normal day's work, handling social media duties for their clients.
Really, they should be living the low life right now. But they're truly living the high life instead. And their gambit appears to be working. Earlier today, CBS and NBC affiliates stopped by to check in on these “glampers.” And, this afternoon, some local restaurants paid their respects. La Duni even dropped off lunch and drinks for the women.
“It's been amazing,” says Dee.
That's one way of putting it. A little excessive and obnoxious might be another.
But, hey, good on them for all the attention.