Yes, I was one of “those” people. I camped out at Bridgestreet at the Apple store starting ad midnight. We went and saw Hellboy 2 before hand and when we got out (around 2) there were 5 people in line ahead of us. A few other people came about 30-40 minutes later, then about every 30 minutes in increasing numbers. Most of them shocked not only find people already there, but plenty of people already there. By opening time there were well over 150+ people in line and that was before the lines got long with all the late comers. I got out the door first even though I was #5 in line. Like most people, in store activation didn’t work so they sent me on my way with a sexy, shiny white 16GB iPhone 3G. The crowd roared when I left and held it up! It was pretty lame and fun all at the same time. I loved it.

Now, after 2 weeks of using it I’ve got a few gripes, though over all I’m extremely happy with the phone.

1. Firmware 2.0 feels glitchy. I had my 2G iPhone for a year or so with no problems. There are various small bugs that make the 2.0 feel rushed. The main bug being the “lag” in the GUI for the phone. The keyboard lags badly and even switching, opening, moving, etc. often get bogged down and I have to wait.

2. The exterior looks slick but feels a little cheaper than the original iPhone. The screen seems to smudge more and hold the prints more. Minor issue, and just me being picky about the phone.

3. The “silent” button is cheap and it shows. I’m worried I’ll be one of the people who break it by switching it! Not only that, it’s too easy to accidentally switch to silent. Annoying.

4. Apps, especially those which access the GPS, randomly cause my iPhone to restart. I’m very concerned about this behavior and worry I may have to exchange my phone. Fun.

5. “No Sim Card” error. I believe this is due the change in the sim card tray. The old one was solid, while the new one is just a ‘frame’ of a tray. As a result the sim card seems to be a bit loose in there and I’ve had to re-seat my sim card a couple of times. Just to save a few cents in metal.

Overall, the phone looks great though I wish the materials matched the quality of the first. Some of it’s dead on, but it’s the details that really get me being picky. And lets face it, using a mac makes me a picky person ;)

I do love a lot of things about the phone too. The damn thing is a work of art. Great design. I love the White one because, well, that’s very mac to me too and if I’m owning a mac I want people to know that, right? I mean cool kids where Abercrombie and Fitch. Geeks wear macs.

Some of the things I like about the 3G:

1. GPS. I’ve been wanting a GPS for a while now and was holding off in hopes of the new iPhone. I’m a big fan of a general handheld that does just everything we need on a mobile level, like camera, video, mp3, wifi, 3g, etc. The GPS, while not as good as one you’d buy for your car is perfect for walking around a city or driving. You just need to be able to read maps. Something they used to teach us in school but I’m betting most kids can’t do today. Me included.

2. App store. I can’t stress enough how much I love this. Along the lines of a “global” like device, apps extend the usefulness of the phone. From Games to Productivity, practical tools and social networking apps. I love it. I’m waiting for an Amazon app, Google Analytics app, Paypal app, SSH app and a good wallpaper app, among a few others. I also have an idea for a couple myself.

3. 3G. Um, yes please. While it’s not my 8 meg cable modem it’s pretty zippy. I often can’t tell the difference in my wifi and the 3G. It’s excellent. I’ve got no complaints about the 3G speed. Very good stuff.

4. Speakers. It seems they did a better job on the speakers. I don’t know what tweaks they made but it seems to me at least that I can hear the audio on the phone much better.

5. 16 gigs. I never used up my 4gig 2G iPhone. I didn’t bother because I knew it was only 4 gigs and there wasn’t much I could do with that with my media consumption levels. With the 16 gig I can snag all my video podcasts and audio podcasts, books, mp3s, pictures, etc. and have access to them all the time.

6. They made a white one. I’m such a sucker!

I do have a few things I still would like to see in an iPhone:

1. Video camera. Come on, I know it records! There are free apps that will let you use the camera to record. Fix this oversight! Same goes for audio memos. srsly.

2. Add a flash and step up to 3.2 megapixels if possible. Many phones are starting to do this. Apple, you need to step!

3. Copy and paste. This has been beat to death, but it’s still annoying. ‘Nuff said.

4. SD expansion slot. My guess is that they won’t ever do this because then upgrading the storage capacity is in our hands instead of theirs. I can’t think of a good reason not to have this.

5. Contact beaming. Palm has been doing this forever. This phone could easily do it. Write that down.

I’m sure I’m forgetting a few things, but that’s what I have so far, 2 weeks in. While my problems are potentially serious ones, I’m happy with the phone. I’m sure they rushed a little and will probably have a fair share of defective units, just like with the X-Box and PS3’s. If mine is busted and not just a firmware problem they’ll fix it. I loved my first iPhone and this is everything it was plus a little extra. Would I buy it again? If I didn’t have an iPhone already, yes. If I wasn’t giving my old one to my wife, probably not right off. I think there are still a few issues to be worked out, but to be honest it was just plain fun to camp and be part of the madness surrounding an Apple product release. It’s pretty lame and very fanboyish, but I stood in line for Empire Strikes Back with my dad for 5 hours. Being a fan is just in my blood.