Standing in line for the iPhone in Louisville, New York City, and San Francisco

iPhone line in Louisville, Kentucky at the AT&T store at The Summit

by Jason Hiner

Like everyone else (except for a select few like the New York Times and Wall Street Journal), TechRepublic had to wait in line for an iPhone on June 29.

I waited in line at the AT&T store at The Summit, an open-air shopping mall a few miles away from the TechRepublic office in Louisville, Kentucky.

Here are the pictures from the line in Louisville as well as photos from New York and San Francisco taken by my colleagues here at CNET Networks.

iPhone line in Louisville, Kentucky at the AT&T store at The Summit

This is the side where the iPhone line was. It is more secluded and mall security was concerned about a long line to disrupt traffic flow.

iPhone line in Louisville, Kentucky at the AT&T store at The Summit

The sign on the right that says “Please wait here for assistance” is where the line started.

TechRepublic's Jason Hiner at the iPhone line in Louisville, Kentucky at the AT&T store at The Summit

Here I am in position number 20 in line. I arrived at about 3:00 PM on Friday, June 29. I was able to pick up a WiFi signal from Starbucks (connect ing via iPass) and publish a blog post from my seat here in line.

Police and security at the iPhone line in Louisville, Kentucky at the AT&T store at The Summit

A Louisville police office and a mall security official confer in front of the AT&T store. Mall security stopped people from lining up on Thursday night and early Friday morning. By noon on Friday, they finally gave in and worked with the AT&T store on an arrangement to allow iPhone lunatics (a.k.a. buyers) to start their line.

iPhone hopefuls trying for an 8 GB model

These three were right behind me in line and they were all hoping to purchase an 8 GB iPhone. If they couldn’t get an 8 GB model then none of them planned to buy a 4 GB model, but would simply search for an 8 GB at another store (several of them starting calling other stores from the line) or put one on order with AT&T.

The people at the end of the iPhone line in Louisville, Kentucky

These were the folks at the end of the line. The guy on the far left in the black shirt was the last person guaranteed an iPhone. However, the other had the option to put in an order or possibly get a 4 GB model if some of the store ran out of 8s and some of the people in front of them decided not to a buy a 4.

First in line for the iPhone at the AT&T store at The Summit in Louisville, Kentucky

Here the first guy in line is mintues away from getting his hands on the iPhone.

iPhone line in Louisville, Kentucky at the AT&T store at The Summit

This guy not only showed off his sealed AT&T iPhone bag (as soon as you break the seal you have to pay a 10u00f20stocking fee if you return the iPhone), but he also took his iPhone out of the bag and opened it up to show people in line. He even let some people hold his new phone, which shocked and amazed some of the people who were waiting.

iPhone line in Manhattan at the glass Apple store on Fifth Avenue

Greg Packer (left), and David Clayman were the first in line to buy an iPhone at Manhattan’s Apple store. Packer is a retired highway maintenance worker from Huntington, N.Y who wants to be the first to get the hottest gadget. He’s a veteran of the PlayStation 3 wait.

Clayman doesn’t really want an iPhone but wants to experience waiting in line and blogging about it. He plans to buy the iPhone and then sell it and donate the proceeds to the Taproot Foundation.