Countdown to iPhone

Jun 25, 03:40 PM

Current Headlines: By Dan Voorhis, The Wichita Eagle, Kan.

Jun. 25--The iPhone is almost as mysterious as it is famous.

Apple has worked its marketing magic to build hype for the mobile phone/video iPod/wireless Internet device.

Information and supply are deliberately being kept tight to build that hype to a fever pitch when the phones go on sale at 6 p.m. Friday.

Initially, the iPhone will be sold at three locations in Wichita: the corporately owned AT&T stores (formerly Cingular) at 3300 N. Rock Road, 11661 E. Kellogg and 8918 W. 21st St. It also will be available on Apple's Web site and at Apple stores, the closest of which are in Kansas City, Mo., and Oklahoma City. The phones sell for $499 for a 4 GB model and $599 for an 8 GB model.

Marc Millsap, 24, of Wichita, said he's "super excited" about the iPhone.

Millsap is a gadget hound, but he's also real estate agent for J.P. Weigand. The iPhone will allow him to call up full home listings on the Internet as he's driving around.

"The word is, there will be lines (to buy one)," he said. "I've been so excited I don't want to wait another two weeks. I'll hire a high schooler who wouldn't mind hanging out to stand in line."

A clerk at one of the AT&T stores, who asked not to be named, said some customers have told him they will camp out to get an iPhone. The phones cannot be ordered or reserved in advance. Instead, they will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis.

The clerk didn't know how many phones were coming, and Apple isn't saying.

AT&T stores will close early Friday so staff can be trained and displays can be set up, then they will reopen at 6 p.m.. AT&T announced Thursday that it has hired 2,000 extra workers to staff its stores.

The buzz and secrecy surrounding the iPhone have created a cult-like following.

Not even gadget reviewers have had a sneak peak.

"It's actually a very effective tool in creating hype," said Chris Ambrosio, director of device research at Strategy Analytics. "Since Apple has such a large base of loyal users, it's a teasing kind of approach to keep those details till the last minute."

Apple hasn't said whether the iPhone will have its own service plan or whether people will buy one of AT&T's existing plans for voice and data. AT&T said details about the terms of service and activation will be revealed this week.

Justin Londagin, a self-described tech-geek, said he's pretty interested in the iPhone but can't bring himself to spend the money -- at least until it proves itself.

But, he said he'd probably go out Sunday to try it out.

"If I was going to spend $600, I'd get a TV, not something that will replace two gadgets I already own," he said.

Many analysts believe the iPhone will change the cell-phone industry and Apple permanently.

Thanks to the iPhone, full-screen touch screens and full-featured Web browsers will become standard on cell phones, they say. More broadly, if Apple can persuade consumers to pay full fare for the iPhone, it might change the industry's business model, putting an emphasis on design and features, rather than low prices or free phones.

"It's caused all the other manufacturers to step up their game," said Paul Jacobs, chief executive of Qualcomm, the world's No. 2 cell phone chipmaker. "I can't tell you the number of people who say, 'Oh, this is our iPhone killer.' It's already to that point where everybody's reacting."

Contributing: Boston Globe, Associated Press, San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News

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