iPhone Czech Republic, Day One

Czech cell phone providers started to sell the new iPhone 3G today at midnight. However, it was not as hot as it sounds, for example Telefónica 02 only opened two stores, one in Prague and one in Brno. The one in Brno is a two-minute walk from my apartment.

One second to go and there are around 50 people waiting. The Telefónica girls are handing out bracelets with numbers so that people do not have to wait in line and instead they will just wait for their number to be called. However, some less smart clients do not get it, they just come and stare and it doesn’t strike them that there is a reason why there is no organized line.

The truth about the Czech iPhone 3G: I said before and I will say it again. This will mostly be an expensive toy for rich spoiled kids whose parents will buy them this gadget to compensate their lousy parenting, or a complete lack thereof.

OBSERVATION NUMBER ONE: sure enough: out of the fifty potential clients present, it is easy to count and observe that at least 40 (!!!) did not make the money they are about to use to buy iPhone.

OBSERVATION NUMBER TWO: an expensive and brand new gadget must be, of course, for the “beautiful people”. Again, easy to see and easy to count: Ken-and-Barbie-esque couples. Guys who dye their hair. Guys with Converse sneakers with one shoe lace blue and one shoe lace white. Crocs shoes. Brand clothing. Previous versions of the iPhone.

Telefónica girls hand out baguettes and water.

Miss Czech Republic Lucie Hadasova

Miss Czech Republic Lucie Hadasova unveils the window. And a few minutes later she serves customers inside. It is odd really, given that all customers are either guys with girlfriends, gays, or teen techie geeks.

I know, I know, it is symbolic to buy something like this on the first night. Like a Harry Potter book. But again, this piece of technology costs almost CZK 12,000 if purchased separately. Freaking USD 800 or more. Surely this could wait. Especially if it is daddy’s money.

I have spent over an hour with the crowd, together with two other journalists and one TV news crew. And I don’t think I saw a hard-working person, let’s say a teacher, who would save money for a few months and come on the first night to reward himself…

UPDATE: Dexter blogs from Poland!!! There were some fake clients in Warsaw, in fact PR people, who were purposefully making the lines of people waiting LONGER. Obviously we did not need that around here. Many Czech teens are snobs and they behave according to a saying I just invented: if you are out just while your cell recharges, you are out forever.