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Japanese Man Already Lined Up To Buy iPhone 6

zacharye writes "Last year ahead of Apple's iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c launch, lines began forming outside Apple stores weeks in advance. At the time, we thought it was pretty crazy that anyone would line up that far in advance to buy a cell phone — but now we know what crazy really looks like. A Japanese man named 'Yoppy' says he has already lined up to buy Apple's unannounced iPhone 6, which isn't expected to launch for another seven months."

114 comments

  1. Wow by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Talk about being first...

    1. Re:Wow by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sorry Jap guy, if you're expecting innovation, that will be iphone 10.

    2. Re:Wow by jellomizer · · Score: 1

      Yea I still have an iPhone 4 and don't see any real reason to upgrade, the only new feature I like is the fingerprint reader to login, my work has me with max security settings meaning I need to use a full password to get into my phone.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    3. Re:Wow by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I am in the same situation. Settings>General>Passcode Lock, you can change it so you only have to input your password if you haven't gone into your phone in the last hour.

      If your IT dept is anything like mine, they might have not restricted this.

  2. An obvious hired shill by bazmail · · Score: 0, Troll

    Tim Cooke is not as slick as Jobs was but his shill marketing is just as effective.

    1. Re:An obvious hired shill by A12m0v · · Score: 4, Funny

      It is going to be a long line for him. We don't even know if there will be an iPhone 6. I have on good record that doomsday is 14/14/14.

      --
      GENERATION 25: The first time you see this, copy it into your sig on any forum and add 1 to the generation.
    2. Re: An obvious hired shill by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      14 months in a year?

    3. Re: An obvious hired shill by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      World is different from Apple fan point of view.

    4. Re:An obvious hired shill by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Or he's just someone who thought "hey, if I do something crazy I'll make the news. Hmm... shoot someone or act as if I line up already for an Apple product that hasn't even been announced yet... chances for headlines are about the same..."

      Or he simply lost a bet and now has to sit there for a day and make a fool out of himself.

      I could think of a few reasons why someone would queue up for some Apple product vaporware and none of them has anything to do with the Apple product per se but rather with its reputation that simply showing interest in it will make some people go into knee-jerk mode and act as if it's worth a story.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    5. Re: An obvious hired shill by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I just thought they had a buggy calendar as well.

    6. Re:An obvious hired shill by ArsenneLupin · · Score: 1

      You got your numbers mixed up.
      Doomsday will be on 02/14/2014 , i.e. today

    7. Re:An obvious hired shill by cusco · · Score: 2

      Only if you forgot Valentines Day . . .

      --
      "Think about how stupid the average person is. Now, realise that half of them are dumber than that." - George Carlin
    8. Re:An obvious hired shill by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 1

      Only if you have a significant other*...

      (*who knows you exist and also considers you to be their significant other)

      --
      systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
    9. Re: An obvious hired shill by antifoidulus · · Score: 1

      What month do you think comes after Smarch?

    10. Re:An obvious hired shill by FreeFire · · Score: 1

      My wife once told me not to get her anything for Valentine's day... so I didn't (I'm an engineer). Don't ever do that.

  3. Can't you pre-order online? by raburton · · Score: 2

    I've never bought an Apple product (and never will), but for pretty much anything else I might want that has a future release date I can pre-order it and get it on day of release. Do Apple not do this?

    1. Re:Can't you pre-order online? by rvw · · Score: 1

      I've never bought an Apple product (and never will), but for pretty much anything else I might want that has a future release date I can pre-order it and get it on day of release. Do Apple not do this?

      Reading your comment you must have been first in line for your portion of seriousness. This is Slashdot, don't mess with this man's believe in God's creatures. If you want your share, get a life or get in line!

    2. Re:Can't you pre-order online? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In answer to your snark-pretending-to-be-a-question, duh, yes.

    3. Re:Can't you pre-order online? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Quote in the bottom of Slashdot:

      The other line moves faster.

    4. Re:Can't you pre-order online? by ledow · · Score: 1

      If you get an answer, can you ask the same people why you'd WANT a 0-day product with complete lack of public testing? That makes me more curious than anything else.

      Hey, I have this great new game/car/house for you. Give me the full cost price of it and you can have it on the first day. Testing? Oh, no, sorry, not until you've paid for it. Other reviews? No, we bought them all and/or embargoed them to prevent the wrong kind of review getting out. Other users? There are none, you'll be our guinea pig.

      Can't imagine why people think it's a good idea at all.

    5. Re:Can't you pre-order online? by Andrewkov · · Score: 1

      I've never bought an Apple product (and never will), but for pretty much anything else I might want that has a future release date I can pre-order it and get it on day of release. Do Apple not do this?

      They do, but pre-ordering doesn't get you an article on Slashdot or make you a hero amongst your friends.

    6. Re:Can't you pre-order online? by immaterial · · Score: 1

      Apple has a 30-day return window for the iPhone. Presumably those crazy customers can determine whether or not the device actually works within that timeframe.

    7. Re: Can't you pre-order online? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But the return window starts when you initiate the transaction - the clock starts ticking when you get in line.

    8. Re:Can't you pre-order online? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you get an answer, can you ask the same people why you'd WANT a 0-day product with complete lack of public testing? That makes me more curious than anything else.

      Hey, I have this great new game/car/house for you. Give me the full cost price of it and you can have it on the first day. Testing? Oh, no, sorry, not until you've paid for it. Other reviews? No, we bought them all and/or embargoed them to prevent the wrong kind of review getting out. Other users? There are none, you'll be our guinea pig.

      Can't imagine why people think it's a good idea at all.

      You do know if you buy a house you have to pay for it before you're allowed to move in? Same with a car, you don't get to take it home until it's paid for.

    9. Re:Can't you pre-order online? by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 1

      They do, but pre-ordering doesn't get you an article on Slashdot

      Give it a month or two.

      or make you a hero amongst your friends.

      Camping out in line months in advance does?

      --
      systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
    10. Re:Can't you pre-order online? by Andrewkov · · Score: 1

      Camping out in line months in advance does?

      In certain circles, probably.

    11. Re:Can't you pre-order online? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're really arguing this? When you buy a house, you get to do walk throughs and inspections. When you buy a car you get to take a test drive. But please, don't let reality get in the way of your rabid defense of Apple against any criticism whatsoever, no matter how vague it is, or if it's not even a real attack on apple.

    12. Re:Can't you pre-order online? by jo_ham · · Score: 1

      Yes, of course you can - and that's how most people order their iPhones, which are then shipped to them to arrive on release day. Quick and easy and takes about 5 minutes.

      Of course, if you are doing a piece of performance art (which this guy is), by dressing up as an iPhone 6 and lining up to buy one, then going the normal pre-order route is less effective for your ultimate goal, which is to generate exposure - and success! He made it to the pages of several blogs and slashdot.

    13. Re:Can't you pre-order online? by jo_ham · · Score: 1

      In his circle, yes, since he's a performance artist and this whole escapade has been an act.

    14. Re:Can't you pre-order online? by ledow · · Score: 1

      Houses:

      Two visits, both 30+ minutes each.

      Multiple hours perusing pictures, measurements taken, etc.

      One full house survey by a professional paid to represent my interests.

      One full house survey by a professional paid to represent my mortgage companies interests.

      Numerous agents to find a house that met the criteria in the first place.

      Several lawyers representing my interests at all points (including legally sound paperwork and things like the double-glazing not having been fitted by a FENSA-registered fitter, which we then paid into an "insurance" to protect ourselves for).

      Three separate neighbourhood checks (driving around at end of school day, end of work day, late at night) to spot potential problems.

      Check into planning changes in a 5 mile radius (required by law)

      Check on land ownership and boundaries, with diagrams (required by law)

      Check on utility and sewage flow, with diagrams and liabilities clearly highlighted (required by law)

      Check on the energy usage of the house (required by law)

      Cars:

      Vehicle check by law (MOT).

      Additional vehicle check for thefts etc.

      Roadworthiness report by my father.

      Test drive by myself.

      Test drive by my girlfriend.

      Legal document with previous owner's name and address (by law) should I need to take it back.

      (And I guarantee you my car costs less than an iPhone!).

      And, to be honest, I'm not even that rigorous. I've seen people do a lot more for a lot less.

      And how do you think a house is comparable? Other people taking my house for a test, or similar houses in the road and asking their opinion? No.

      A car? You can be damn sure I knew what exactly model I was buying (no Peugeots, no Citroens, no Toyotas), and it was secondhand so I was even more rigorous. But with a brand-new car? You can be damn sure I'd be Googling for reviews by people who bought the model before I touched it.

      Just because you're an idiot, don't assume everyone else is.

    15. Re:Can't you pre-order online? by hcs_$reboot · · Score: 1

      I've never bought an Apple product (and never will)

      Never say never ...

      pretty much anything else (...) I can pre-order it and get it on day of release

      When the product is as popular as an iphone - would you like it or no - many people want it the first day and, unless queuing early, you'll have to wait.

      --
      Slashdot, fix the reply notifications... You won't get away with it...
    16. Re:Can't you pre-order online? by Savage-Rabbit · · Score: 1

      I've never bought an Apple product (and never will), but for pretty much anything else I might want that has a future release date I can pre-order it and get it on day of release. Do Apple not do this?

      No, and that's why Apple gets a shitload of press when people line up for their products and while every other company hardly gets a mention when their new flagship product becomes available for pre-order on Amazon along with (***yawn***) a dozen others. Even if one passionately dislikes Apple, one must also grudgingly admit that it's a pretty clever marketing strategy that has worked wonders for Apple.

      --
      Only to idiots, are orders laws.
      -- Henning von Tresckow
    17. Re:Can't you pre-order online? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They used to do this, I preordered an iPad 3 and got it before the Apple store even opened on the day it went on sale. Now you can only order it online when it goes on sale at the brick and mortar store.

    18. Re:Can't you pre-order online? by leonardluen · · Score: 1

      won't he be embarrassed when they release it and it looks nothing like his costume!

  4. For those who don't know; lines work differently i by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    He isn't physically waiting in line. Japan ques up by using a place holder mat with a persons name on it. When the day comes they just go to the mat and take tier spot. You can Google this to verify

  5. Re:For those who don't know; lines work differentl by Roxoff · · Score: 2

    You are aware that you can 'Google and verify' anything you like, whether true or not :) Although you are correct, I like the thought of this guy waiting outside for the rest of winter and spring for his iPhone only to see Apple pull the plug on the project.

    --
    "Is the Chief Priest an Offlian? Do dragons explode in the wood?"
  6. Just some performance art by jones_supa · · Score: 4, Informative

    At the time, we thought it was pretty crazy that anyone would line up that far in advance to buy a cell phone — but now we know what crazy really looks like.

    He's not crazy. It's just some cracked performance art. His Twitter account features pictures of him, amongst other things, tied up in rope bondage aboard a train, wearing an alarmingly tight superhero costume, running in underwear on snowy streets, and a penis crafted of chocolate. He's clearly a prankster and humorist.

    1. Re:Just some performance art by jandersen · · Score: 0, Troll

      He's not crazy. It's just some cracked performance art. His Twitter account features pictures of him, amongst other things, tied up in rope bondage aboard a train, wearing an alarmingly tight superhero costume, running in underwear on snowy streets, and a penis crafted of chocolate. He's clearly a prankster and humorist.

      Not an iDiot, then?

    2. Re:Just some performance art by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sounds like you didn't find Waldo. That's ok, there's plenty of other things to see.

    3. Re:Just some performance art by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      He is still an idiot (iDiot for you) though.

    4. Re:Just some performance art by flyneye · · Score: 1

      Politics and religion werent mentioned, prerequisite to idiocy.

      --
      *Repent!Quit Your Job!Slack Off!The World Ends Tomorrow and You May Die!
    5. Re:Just some performance art by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Depends on whether you're "in the biz" or just someone who believes in them.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    6. Re:Just some performance art by timeOday · · Score: 1

      Even so, he is late to the party. Smartphone mania has crested. I would say with the iPhone 4.

    7. Re:Just some performance art by aardvarkjoe · · Score: 1

      His Twitter account features pictures of him, amongst other things, tied up in rope bondage aboard a train, wearing an alarmingly tight superhero costume, running in underwear on snowy streets, and a penis crafted of chocolate. He's clearly a prankster and humorist.

      Nah. Those are all perfectly normal behaviors in Japan.

      --

      How can we continue to believe in a just universe and freedom to eat crackers if we have no ale?
    8. Re:Just some performance art by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      From your statement we can safely conclude that politics and religion is not a prerequisite to idiocy.
      But one can also conclude that a anti-religion bigot is prerequisite to idiocy.

    9. Re:Just some performance art by flyneye · · Score: 1

      I stand by my lack of distinction.

      --
      *Repent!Quit Your Job!Slack Off!The World Ends Tomorrow and You May Die!
    10. Re:Just some performance art by flyneye · · Score: 1

      I not anti-religion. Im anti-idiot. But one doesnt go to the grocery store to buy tractor tires.

      --
      *Repent!Quit Your Job!Slack Off!The World Ends Tomorrow and You May Die!
  7. What page just loaded? by Anna+Merikin · · Score: 1

    When I logged into /. just now, this story was at the top of the page.

    I had to look twice at the masthead to make sure I wasn't on the Onion page.

    Good work, usually humorless /.ers!

    1. Re: What page just loaded? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It is most dishonorabre to become Appre sheepre.

  8. Wonder if he's out in the snow? by putaro · · Score: 1

    It's snowing in Tokyo right now so I'm curious if he's camped out. I'd like a picture of "sad iPhone in snow"

  9. Is this news? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If this is news, is it really relevant to Slashdot?
    Just because it mentions an iThing does not make this newsworthy, let alone relevant reading here.

  10. Publicity Stunt is Publicity Stunt by whisper_jeff · · Score: 3, Insightful

    A minor level performer is attempting to get his name out there with the lamest publicity stunt ever.

    So Slashdot posted it to the front page.

    Yay Slashdot...

  11. He'll be old when he gets it. by dohzer · · Score: 0

    Not from waiting long, but because my aunt likes Apple. She's old and she's the only Apple fan I know. He's probably quite old.

    1. Re:He'll be old when he gets it. by mcgrew · · Score: 1

      My daughter has been using iPhones for years, she's 27. I see people of all ages with the silly things. I say silly, because it's stupid to carry around a six or seven hundred dollar fragile object everywhere you go when one for a hundred will do all the same things.

      I call Apple's phone the iBling. It's a status symbol, and I detest status symbols. Kids...

  12. Re:I know this is getting old... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Do you oppose gay then?

    I wasn't aware many Russians used /.

    In Soviet Russia Mr Fruit eats you..

  13. Re:Everything is OK by StripedCow · · Score: 1

    One more reason to develop for iOS and not for Android.

    Google should hire people to do the same for Android.

    --
    If Pandora's box is destined to be opened, *I* want to be the one to open it.
  14. Re:For those who don't know; lines work differentl by Mister+Transistor · · Score: 5, Funny

    I think he's just homeless and faking it.

    {in perfect Japanese, of course} "Move along."..

    "Hey, I'm just... waiting... yeah, for the next IPhone, that's it!"

    "Oh, Okay..."

    --
    -- You are in a maze of little, twisty passages, all different... --
  15. Re: I know this is getting old... by scarboni888 · · Score: 0

    You mean like those who would post that view as an anonymous coward?

  16. Chill out by sjbe · · Score: 1

    Tim Cooke is not as slick as Jobs was but his shill marketing is just as effective.

    You really need to cool that "it's a shill" reflex down a bit. This is Japan. Nobody does crazy obsessive (both good and bad) better than Japan. Apple would have nothing to accomplish by hiring this idiot. They've already got people who are silly enough to line up and camp out for their products.

  17. the world would be... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ... a better place if everyone of these "I want to be the first to buy/have a/an....." get killed immediately.

  18. newsflash. by Bender+Unit+22 · · Score: 1

    A mentally disturbed person does something stupid and it matters?

    (no I dont mean it as a comment on Apple users, but judging from the link, it seems he's not all there).

  19. Re: I know this is getting old... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You're assuming someone like that has friends? Just like Zimbabwe like white-American tourists I guess..

  20. How to be an attention whore by DrXym · · Score: 3, Funny

    Step 1: Announce you are queuing up for an iPhone 6, offering no more evidence than a few photos of yourself dressed up in some pathetic attention grabbing costume. Step 2: Watch as the story is used as filler for lazy news outlets who can't be bothered to find real news to report on.

  21. Re:Everything is OK by gl4ss · · Score: 1

    well doh since the release days are well known in advance and if you want to do a publicity stunt you do it for iphone queue'ing.

    nothing to do with the fucking phone even, just the fact that reporters love to report on things they already reported. its shit easy. nobody cares though.

    --
    world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
  22. So now articles about the mentally ill by fredrated · · Score: 1

    are fare for slashdot?

    1. Re:So now articles about the mentally ill by cusco · · Score: 1

      Always has been. Every year they announce the Darwin Awards, for example. And look at how much attention Steve Jobs and Larry Ellison have gotten over the years. Then more recently there's the McAffee foolishness.

      --
      "Think about how stupid the average person is. Now, realise that half of them are dumber than that." - George Carlin
  23. Does anyone still care? by erroneus · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    Iphone is no longer being introduced and announced by the famous spokesman. The changes in the device are minor, incremental and predictable. People are still using their iPhone 4 and some even earlier -- they are just about done with the hype and hysteria.

    Does iPhone even matter any longer?

    1. Re:Does anyone still care? by jo_ham · · Score: 0

      Given that it's still the top selling handset by a country mile, and that each successive iPhone sells more than the previous one, I'd have to say "yes".

      The two major players in the smartphone market right now are Apple and Samsung. Whatever the two of them do right now "matters". The Galaxy line and the iPhone line make up the vast majority of smartphones in current use and currently being sold.

      Sorry, but your hate for Apple doesn't change reality.

    2. Re:Does anyone still care? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'd really like to see what data you're using, because according to this, you're completely full of shit.

    3. Re:Does anyone still care? by jo_ham · · Score: 1

      Note that I said "Samsung Galaxy" and "Apple iPhone", and you've made the classic mistake of lumping all of the Android handsets from every manufacturer together to make one monolithic "Android" graph line.

      When you look at units sold of each handset (smartphone only) alone, the Samsung Galaxy and and Apple iPhone line make up the major bulk.

      When you tally it this way, Android's graph there is 30% Samsung, with every other manufacturer totalling 70%, but without any single one of them getting close to Samsung.

      What that graph fools people into thinking is that Apple's weight in the market is less than it is - since they're separated out into a category of their own. It hides the facts that the two players who are really making money and setting the pace for smartphones are Samsung and Apple.

    4. Re:Does anyone still care? by erroneus · · Score: 1

      ...you mean the same way people classically lump "PC" vs. Mac instead of "Dell vs. Apple"? The software platform of Apple and that of Android is a fair comparison.

    5. Re:Does anyone still care? by jo_ham · · Score: 1

      Ah, so in that case I assume it's fair to add on all the figures from the iPad to the iOS numbers, then?

      I mean, the software platforms are the same.

  24. Re:For those who don't know; lines work differentl by ArsenneLupin · · Score: 2

    Germans do the same thing with their towels on board of cruise ships.

  25. Huh by fiziko · · Score: 1

    When I first saw this headline in my Facebook feed, I assumed the source was The Onion. Wow.

    --
    - W. Blaine Dowler
    http://www.bureau42.com
    1. Re:Huh by Plumpaquatsch · · Score: 1

      When I first saw this headline in my Facebook feed, I assumed the source was The Onion. Wow.

      The Register has become the next best thing.

      --
      Of course news about a fake are Fake News.
  26. Step 3 by SmallFurryCreature · · Score: 1

    Rake in the advertising cash as losers with no lives comment on said story.

    Sad... very sad.

    *cries*

    --

    MMO Quests are like orgasms:

    You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.

  27. Re:I know this is getting old... by 3.5+stripes · · Score: 0

    You know, it's actually OK to be gay. All this self hate projected onto other people.. you must be working on a gigantic ulcer.

    --


    He tried to kill me with a forklift!
  28. Re:For those who don't know; lines work differentl by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 1

    Yes, he is. He's a "performance artist."

    --
    systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
  29. stupid fucking world by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    stupid fucking world, some people die from starvation , and some stupid like this ....

  30. Re:For those who don't know; lines work differentl by Sockatume · · Score: 1

    The article shows him physically waiting in line. While dressed up as an iPhone...

    --
    No kidding!!! What do you say at this point?
  31. Better than the alternatives by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Given suicide rates, this at least is a bit more productive, free ads for tartco, and publicity for the loser.

  32. Re:For those who don't know; lines work differentl by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This guy, Yoppy, is a comedian along the lines of someone like Tom Green: His M.O. is to go out and make an ass of himself in public. Also like Tom Green, sometimes it works, sometimes it's just embarrassing.

  33. Life imitates art by PPH · · Score: 1

    Some time ago, there was a satirical story about a homeless guy* falling asleep in the Apple store entry and a line forming behind him to buy whatever it was that he was waiting for. Now there are stories about homeless people actually waiting in Apple store lines.

    *Indistinguishable from hipsters.

    Oblig. image.

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
  34. It's not for real by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's an elaborate joke made on all these nut-jobs queuing up in front of the Apple stores in the U.S weeks before it's available, because they think they will not be able to survive without the latest iPhone.

  35. Real world example of how stupid the need to say ' by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    One man isn't really a line. More like a point... or a pinhead.

  36. Good For Him by painandgreed · · Score: 1

    Everybody needs a hobby.

  37. Beware by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Apple zombies are awakening!

  38. Well if you dont have anything else to do... by YoungManKlaus · · Score: 1

    might as well go for some urban camping.

  39. Incorrect by khellendros1984 · · Score: 1

    He wasn't seriously lining up for the iPhone 6. He was doing a piece of performance art that he could post on Twitter to get some attention. Looks like he got it.

    --
    It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
  40. Yes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yes. As anonymous as "scarboni888".

    Fag.

  41. Re:I know this is getting old... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It is OK to be gay. Same as it's OK to be blind.

    But it is a defect. I'm not hiring blind pilots...

  42. Sapril? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You'd have to be pretty dumb not to know that Sapril comes after Smarch, no?

  43. Hmmm ... by gstoddart · · Score: 1

    Does one person a line make? I think not.

    --
    Lost at C:>. Found at C.
  44. This is lame by the-real-morpheus · · Score: 1

    Slashdot has devolved to news about moronic fan boys sitting around in a non-line waiting for a product that doesn't exist. Maybe you guys could start a separate stupiddot.org and put this kind of useless info there.

  45. Depending on how base it is... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    In base 5, 14/14/14 was quite a while back.

  46. Why Not? by Beetlejuiced · · Score: 1

    He said. It sure beats the heck out of farming.