LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- In what has become a familiar scene, iPhone lovers lined up outside Oxmoor Center for hours for a chance to be among the first to own Apple's latest version of its popular phone released today.
A self-described gadget lover, Levi Haines says he has almost all of Apple's products.
"I have quite a few ... I have the iPad, the router, the iPhone 4S and the Apple TV," Haines said.
Out of all the reviews he's read, Haines says the thing he likes "the most about it is that the profile is really thin -- like all of their reviews have said when you hold it in your hand, it's just spectacular. And the phone with the extra space -- that's nice enough. And then the phone with the LTE rating ... it's literally twice as fast and the fastest Apple product ever made."
Haines says he got up at 2:30 a.m. to secure his place in line about an hour later. By that time, the line was already snaking around part of the building. Despite the long wait, Haines says hanging out with other tech lovers is part of the fun.
The first person in line, Garrett Crabtree, told us he camped out at 8:00 Thursday night -- 12 hours before the Apple Store opened. He told us he planned to make the most of this opportunity by making a profit for his time.
Crabtree said he planned to buy two phones, and expected to be able to sell the extra iPhone "probably for about a thousand dollars or more."
When asked if that was realistic, Crabtree replied: "Oh, some unfortunate soul is going to be paying for that -- top dollar."
Like Haines, Crabtree owns several other Apple gadgets.
Although Crabtree was first in line, he wasn't the first person out of the store with a phone in-hand. We spoke with that person, Santwon McCray, a U of L cheerleader, shortly after he left the Apple Store.
To say he was excited would be an understatement, with McCray cheering and high-fiving others as he left the store. McCray says he's an early adopter -- meaning he always gets the latest Apple gadgets as soon as they're available.
"It's the newest thing to have, it's the best machine to have, so I've got to have it," McCray said.
McCray says he didn't buy the new iPhone because of its technical specs. He bought it for style, "the sleek look, the newest thing, the latest thing, so I always want to have my hands on it first."
McCray told us he hadn't slept for close to 28 hours, and arrived at Oxmoor between 11 p.m. and midnight Thursday. Despite his lack of sleep, McCray says he planned to spend a few hours setting up his new phone and enjoying the new features.
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Levi Haines
Garrett Crabtree
Santwon McCray
