The lines that formed at Apple stores around the world on Friday have dispersed, but for hardcore iPhone fans, the memories still resonate, as they clutch their shiny new smartphones conceived in Cupertino. One of those line-waiters decided to capture the camaraderie and tech obsession that unites this unique brand of Apple fan by shooting a short documentary film.
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Commercial director Casey Neistat, along with Gabriel Nussbaum and Jack Coyne, posted a slickly produced short on YouTube on Saturday. The film offers highlights of some line-waiting experiences at Apple’s iconic glass-cube store on Fifth Avenue in New York City.
Apple fans may recognize Neistat’s name from another related video he posted back in 2007 called “iPod’s Dirty Little Secret.” Back then, Neistat’s goal was to raise awareness about the iPod’s non-replaceable battery through a street-graffiti campaign that defaced Apple's ubiquitous fluorescent iPod ads.
Apparently, time has mellowed Neistat a bit, as his latest video focus on Apple is more of a love note in film form. Nevertheless, the video team does put line-waiters on the spot by asking the eternal question: Why do you do it?
Answers range from pure Apple devotion to admissions from some that they’re just in it for the resale value if the iPhone becomes hard to obtain in the coming weeks. During the annual geek campouts at Apple stores, the business of reselling iPhones has occasionally been the subject of controversy.
On Friday, there were reports of fights breaking out at one Apple store in Pasadena, Calif. after a reseller, who had promised to pay a number of people to wait in line overnight, ended up in a confrontation with his alleged hirees.
Still, the overall mood among Apple fans lining up around the globe was that of mostly excitement surrounding the new features of the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C.
In the description accompanying his film on YouTube, Neistat wrote, “At the peak of that hysteria I stopped and reminded myself what the impetus was for all of this; a new phone. That warranted a head shake and an eye roll. It's fun to get excited about something, no matter how ridiculous it may seem.”
Image: YouTube, Casey Neistat