Today was iPhone’s launch, which was probably the largest and most hyped launch of any one product in history. To participate in this frenzy, my first stop was an AT&T store which had about 25 people waiting outside the door at 4:00pm, two hours before the store’s doors would open.

Next, I went to Century City Mall’s Apple Store to find no line. The glass walls were covered with black paper, as employees inside set up the iPhone displays in secrecy. I later learned that the line was moved to an area out of sight. I haven’t confirmed this. Because I didn’t see a line here, I decided to skip the Apple Store at Beverly Center and go straight to The Grove’s Apple Store.

This is where the awe kicked in. The line was broken into four segments, with almost 200 people waiting. 1 to 2 persons thick. The media was everywhere. Cameras. Interviews. Police. Smiling faces.

After I took pictures, I took off for Santa Monica.

When I arrived at the Third Street Promenade store, the black drapes over the glass walls of the store were already taken down. There was two large iPhones with countdowns. The line was a single long one, but about 3-4 persons thick. There was a lot of excitement. Lots of passerby stopping by to take photos. People asking what the hype was all about. An Apple employee, presumably head of security, barked announcements. The employees inside the store were taking pictures of themselves, exclaiming in excitement. They were themselves affected by this event. Soon the countdown hit zero.

By groups of around 20 people, the first store guests were allowed in. The last shot shows two people making their special purchase.

(video coming soon)

Photo gallery with 8 photos. The first five are at The Grove – Los Angeles. The last three are at the Third Street Promenade – Santa Monica. I took 75 pictures, but because I also shot video, that’s the best way to capture and share the excitement.