Apple Stores, Crazed Fans Prepare for the iPhone 4's Release

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The iPhone 4 doesn't go on sale until the day after tomorrow, but there's been a low level iPhrenzy situation brewing since last week when AT&T's servers proved incapable of handling the preregistration demand. To manage the onslaught on Thursday, the city's four Apple Stores are all planning to open early at 7am, including the 24-hour Fifth Avenue location, which will close down overnight in preparation. Come Friday, schedules vary: Fifth Avenue will once again shut down briefly and then re-open at 7; MePa will open at 7; Soho plans to open at 8; and the more relaxed Upper West Side location will open at 9. (Naturally, we'll have operatives on hand reporting on the lines at each spot.)

Meanwhile, as the stores gird their loins, the city's staunchest Apple fans have already started lining up. Writes a tipster: "FYI, there are two assholes sitting outside the Apple store in Midtown at present. Camping chairs, supplies, etc. They're armed with 3G iPhones, too, which is tragic from a battery life perspective."
· Pre-Ordering Disaster: iPhone Fans Wait in Line to Wait in Line [Racked NY]