My iPhone cometh

I did it. I ordered the new Apple iPhone 4 today and it should be here in less than two weeks.

I considered visiting my neighborhood AT&T store this morning, but a pre-6 a.m. drive-by revealed a packed parking lot and long lines of walk-up customers. The temperature was already near 90 degrees and the entrance to the store faces east. So instead of sizzling in line I decided to move my shopping online.

I'd already missed the preorder day earlier this month and opted to wait out the very-early birds June 24. There's no way I'm going to stand in line for 13 hours to get a new phone. OK, maybe I’d wait if someone were giving the phones away, but that isn't the case. I figured I'd already waited about a week, so what's another couple of weeks?

News stories yesterday reported that Apple said 1.7 million iPhone 4s were sold in the first three days. These went primarily to those who preordered and the very patient who waited in lines at Apple, Best Buy, Radio Shack and Walmart stores. I've never been an early adopter, as I have the luxury of watching and waiting as the technodust settles and glitches are discovered and addressed.

I'm confident Apple is addressing the problems some new-iPhone users have reported having, such as an antenna problem that results in a loss of phone reception and yellow-blotched screens.

I did order a "bumper" case for the phone, which I would have done anyway. I believe in insurance, even in the form of a $30 case that will protect my investment, er, phone. There's a growing online movement to get Apple to give away the bumper cases, claiming the company was aware of the "death grip" bug that kills reception for some users when the iPhone 4 is held in the left hand. You can read more about the issue on The Tech Chronicles blog at the SFGate:
http://bit.ly/cv0rOs

I'll let you know when I'm up and running with the new iPhone. Then I’ll solicit other users for a test of the Facetime videoconferencing feature.

This will be fun.