“The first retail-bound volume shipments of Apple Inc.’s hotly anticipated iPhone device arrived successfully in the United States this past weekend, touching down quietly at a handful of drop locations just six days before the device is due to go on sale at nearly 2000 Apple and AT&T retail locations,” Kasper Jade reports for AppleInsider.
“Awaiting the freight at each location on Sunday were armed personnel, who were reportedly hired by Apple through its courier’s ground handling agent and then cleared by the Transportation Security Administration. Armed guards are extremely unusual for freight coming out of the Asian sector, those familiar with the matter explained, and are typically reserved for shipments containing riches such as gold and diamonds,” Jade reports.
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “mango” for the heads up.]
Armed guard. It’s funny, but really it’s not. They are worth more than gold. Any bets on how much iPhones will be going for on Ebay?
Should read “who were reportedly hired by Apple’s marketing department”. This is all part of the well-oiled hype machinery.
It’s a FREAKIN PHONE! Not diamonds, people. LOL
Well, I’ve ‘being’ excited for the last 6 months. This week is going to be hellish!
http://tmsruge.com
…actually much more useful and valuable than diamonds. Only DeBeers has a better and much-longer-running marketing/hype machine than Apple!
Any bets on how much iPhones will be going for on Ebay?
————–
Since the iPhone will ONLY be sold with a 2 year contract, I don’t think we will seeing much eBay activity.
Think iPhones are expensive?
Vertu phones START AT $4900 and go up to $320,000. And no, that is not a typo, Vertu actually sells a phone for $320,000.
http://www.vertu.com/
i dont think the 2 year contract is concrete as of this point in time.
hopefully there will be a pre-paid version. but that will probably happen after the initial firestorm.
The new hit series on Discovery…
iPhone Truckers. Watch truckers drive the parilous I-90 corridor as Mac Freaks attack thier rigs in the bitter cold of June.
{cue ‘Livin’ on the Edge’}
Well, I’ve ‘being’ excited for the last 6 months. This week is going to be hellish!
seriously man try to keep up. that should have read:
“well, i’ve being exciting for the last 6 months. This week is being going to be hellish”
much better …
Someone needs to do an edit of The Italian Job movie with the part where the armored truck falls through the street, is broken open, safe cracked to reveal iPhones glowing in the dark.
If we could just get Geraldo on the scene to make sure that it is really the iPhone, and not just another child molestor trying to get away from a prison sentence…..
@ Big Hairy Bullocks
I don’t think it’s about the value of the phones, it’s about the secrecy.
I want a golden ticket – and I want one NOW!
iPhones are a girl’s best friend.
MW: Needs as in Me needs a girl with an iPhone.
So, where are the photos?
Armed guards for a freakin’ phone… give me a break
“Armed guards for a freakin’ phone . . .”
Yes, but they’re armed with Zunes.
Sorry Mike R,
I are being having a brain freeze moment. Your take are being much better
Harry Potter books are guarded by armed guards. What makes iPhone any different?
How many people got jumped for a PS3, and thats worth a little more than a iPhone.
Crime rate is going to rise again for this item, guaranteed.
How many arms did the guards have? Eight? ….
Octoguards accompany iphone shipments!
Seriously though one can see a contract by the opposition to have consignments nobbled and destroyed to prevent their sales from taking a serious hit in the first wave.
aw, they changed it. now we just sound silly.
I wonder if M$ has ever, or will ever produce something that has to be guarded!
I don’t think so.
If you leave a zune laying on a seat on the subway it will probably still be there the next time you ride. Damn!
>Armed guards for a freakin’ phone… give me a break
Not uncommon with high-end, very expensive electronics.
How many guards were hired for, say, Vista or Zune?
Keeping the garbage haulers away doesn’t count.
@ TowerTone,
Yeah, Geraldo could get past the guards to open up the truck and the cases of iPhone to find them…. Empty!!!
It was just a decoy after all … the iPhones were actually brought over in cases marked . . ???
Gold – one ounce is $651.10
Diamonds – 1/4 carat is $575
iPhone – priceless!
razor said,
“i dont think the 2 year contract is concrete as of this point in time.
hopefully there will be a pre-paid version.”
What makes you think the 2 year contract is not required? Of any information Apple and AT&T have given, it’s that a 2 year contract WILL be required. Why would AT&T have it any other way? They’ll sell every single iPhone they can get with a 2 year contract.
Don’t ever expect an iPhone with a prepaid plan. That’s not the market Apple or AT&T want. They want people who will spend money on extras, like internet access. AT&T wants people who, when they go over their plans, will keep using the phone and automatically be charged more (and they’ll pay the bill).
You won’t get that with prepaid iPhones. With the monthly service contract, Apple and AT&T can control the services and what goes on the iPhone.
It was just a decoy after all … the iPhones were actually brought over in cases marked . . ???
“Furniture, executive office. C/O Microsoft Corporation. URGENT.”.
iPhone Truckers!
This is going to be a fun week…
btw, not to fear, Verizon has something like 18 “music-capable” phones and will be adding more. Ummm… okay… thanks for playing. Yeah, people have absolutely no preferences about their “music-capable” devices. Commodity feature. Well, actually thanks for not playing.
The only thing that will save them is that Apple’s sales goasl (for now) are rather modest. Or if Apple fscks it up with quality issues. Because the others, they are clueless…
The volume of commodities that go “missing” between dispatch and delivery, is a billion dollar business.
The black market world is very, very organized – sure the stuff arrives and it looks just like the kit you ordered, be it electronic parts or medical supplies.
It is not until later that you might discover “when things go tits up” that they are in fact, fake, cheap and faulty copies of the genuine, superior and expensive products that you paid for.
Once goods have left a manufacturer, there are zillions of places for goods to be intersected and tampered with.
Still “armed personnel” makes good copy.
“…are typically reserved for shipments containing riches such as gold and diamonds”
In other news, Apple announces an upgrade to the upgrade – the optical quality glass on the iPhone has now been replaced by a solid diamond screen.
Jobs: “Sure, it’s slippery like Enderle says, but now it won’t matter if you drop it. Unless you’re worried about cracking the sidewalk”