The Journey:

It all began with Rose and I leaving our flat in Southampton at 6am (after getting up at 4am and 5am respectively) to catch the 0635 Southampton Central train to London Waterloo. I had the good sense to buy the tickets the night before so we'd have nothing to panic about once we arrived. After watching daybreak along the way, we got to Waterloo a couple of minutes earlier than expected at 8.30am. After making the short journey on the Underground to Oxford Circus tube station, we get back to street level on the corner of Oxford and Regent Street. We could already see the black flag swinging outside the store, proudly displaying the Apple logo. We get closer seeing the first few people waiting outside the door. This is when we saw...

The Queue:

Well, I had no illusion that we were to be anywhere near the front, but I hadn't expected such a walk ahead of me. The queue snaked from the front of the store, cornered down Princes Street breaking out into Hanover Square as it curved around the back of the block, hopped across to Hanover Street and eventually settled in St George Street but not without doubling back on itself. Not the 3/4 mile of Ginza, Tokyo, but an impressive turnout regardless.

So at 8.45am Rose and I joined what very shortly wasn't the back of the line. Shit, were we even in the first thousand? I'm guessing so, but it was clear as we walked past the first couple of hundred that plenty of people had at least joined hours before us if not slept there for a night or two. In fact I'd remembered reading that the first people to join the queue were there from Thursday evening!

The Wait:

9am and we'd barely moved. Winter had started kicking in earlier in the week and it was a bitterly cold, frosty breath kind of morning and we had an hour to go before the store would even open. Every now and then we'd move a few metres as either people decided to bunch together, or something unsighted and mysterious was happening to various members of the line. They definitely weren't getting in so who knows?

Whilst many people had brought their iPods to while the time, we'd got chatting to a couple of people ahead of us and soon became queue buddies. TV Producer, John and his fashion designer partner whose name we never asked for (and who I'll call FDP for reference), gave good chat. John was keen to grab a lucky bag but it was clear that given the distance from the front of the queue there'd be no chance. It didn't stop him leaving the queue to see if he could barter with those at the front. Time passed quickly as Rose, FDP and myself chatted all things Apple and more. FDP was a recent switcher and was enjoying the light side of the force, happy to use a humanistic computer that didn't fall over at the drop of a space bar. We bravely predicted we'd be in the store before 11am.

A cheer erupted at 9.50am. There's no way they'd open early? When John returned shortly after 10am, he told us that all the Apple staff came up to the front of the store to see the turnout and applaud those waiting, the cheer was in response to that. People had started joining the queue at 4.30am, while others had pushed in, taking advantage of the most ardent fans sleeping at the front. A few people were willing to sell John a lucky bag, for £350, while others were definitely keeping theirs. It was sad to hear that a fair few near the front were only going to sell them off on eBay for a tidy profit, but in the back of my mind I knew I'd sell off the unwanted stuff myself. People were hoping for iPods and iBooks, but those who'd come out of the store with their bags were giving the same story. Read the list in Apple's terms and conditions and take out anything with the word 'iPod' in it, that's what you were getting. A great starter kit to those getting a new set-up but rather small fry to those ardent addicts who'd survived a harsh, cold night with their PowerBooks who'd no doubt have most of the accessories waiting for them at home. I felt equally disappointed. I'd love a free .Mac membership and an Airport Express, but I can live without it right now and when I do buy them, it's cheaper than splashing out £249 for a black holdall.

It seemed most had their hearts set on the iPod, but knowing Apple and their struggle to build enough to keep with demand, I believed they'd want to make top dollar and sell each and every one. Which is the same reaction I had when John said people were hoping for opening day discounts. Not so. There'd be no special appearances and no special discounts; the aim of the day was to sell Apple, the store and their products. The only thing special about this day was that it was the first.

Every five or ten minutes we'd move a little further, each step a small achievement in patience. By eleven, we'd joined Hanover Street and had at least made it onto the same block as the store. The toes had started to freeze and the legs needed stretching and stamping, at least to remind the knees what to do once we finally made it. People were passing by flyering various things: their services as Mac repairers or a 10% discount at the newly opened Waterstones in Oxford Street. A software engineer from Softpress was telling everyone about Freeway. When he got to me I congratulated him on the product as a great way to get non-web people into creating great websites. I told him I attended a training day at their offices back in 2001, but I'd since moved into GoLive because I wanted to get my hands dirtier on the coding side, although it was no discredit to his work. The funniest part was when three members of staff from a local PC World started flyering the queue. I respectfully turned their leaflet down while laughing on the inside, as they promised discounts on Apple products. The leaflet didn't have one Apple item on the cover and while glancing over the shoulders of a chap in front of me, it seemed they were only discounting £50 off an eMac. Seriously though, no grand opening of fricking PC World is going to gather a queue of people like this one Apple Store. Rose, FDP and myself now predicted we'd be in before midday.

We turned into Princes Street at about 11.20am (a pure guess). John had brought the luke-warm hot chocolate drinks, which still did their job in warming us up, and the excitement built further. John severely debated his lucky bag position, though I think rational thinking swayed him into saving his money. Staff from a nearby cafe were taking soup orders as I noticed a smartly placed Starbucks which must've had a licence to print money on a day like this. People walked past with their lucky bags and the story hadn't changed. John had said they'd all gone the last time he spoke to those at the front of the store.

The Corner:

And so we got close ourselves. At 11.57am, we'd made the corner of Princes and Oxford Street; the Jolly Apple waving outside Regents House was back into view. It wouldn't be long now. We'd been queuing for about three hours, small change compared to those who were the first into the store, now leaving with camping gear strapped to their backs carrying lucky bags, free t-shirts and other proud purchases. Security had been strong all the way along, but now bright yellow jackets of the Police joined the black fleeces of the hired security team, keeping order. A quick opportunity for a photo shoot near the front of the queue, two brief shuffles forward and we were in!

The Store:

The applause of staff welcomed us, as we were handed our free limited edition t-shirts. A small reward for our dedication, but were unfortunately all XL, which would make most people look like the after photo in a Slimfast commercial. There were a few boxes (containing the T-shirt boxes) left, so I'm satisfied we were in the first 1,500. Rose and I shook hands and said our farewells to our queue buddies, and wished them well in the store. It was a pleasure to meet them, and while it was silly not to exchange iChat IDs I knew we'd probably never see them again.

Seeing preview pictures online a couple of days before didn't do the place justice. Clean, open spaces leading to tables proudly displaying all aspects of Apple's range, encouraging hand-on experimentation. This was the best way to sell Apple, let people see for themselves. While the U2/Apple 'Vertigo' commercial smothered UK TV all weekend long, I can't help but feel they missed a trick by not having something about the Apple Store on there; not everyone who watches the commercial will see apple.com/uk and automatically leap to their computers, instinctively click Hot News to see that a store has opened. I digress.

On the ground floor, themed areas introduced us to the PowerBooks and iBooks, the PowerMacs with the aluminium Apple Cinema Display range. iSights with magnetic mounts were everywhere, and people connected to other Macs with iChat to test the cameras. I finally saw the 30" Apple Cinema Display, well actually two right next to each other! I immediately wanted to rob a bank for the dough and steal a larger desk from Office World to fit the damn things. There were tables with iPods connected to speakers and connected to headphones. Airport Express was selling its virtues to every Mac on every table. A movie zone showed PowerMacs and DV cameras; the music zone paired iMacs with MIDI keyboards. It was all hands-on and there seemed to be a staff member for every ten customers. At the end of the ground floor was a long and very crowded paydesk, with undying queues. The desk was bookended by large shelving units selling Mac, Airport and iPod accessories on one end, and popular Apple and third-party software solutions at the other.

The frosted glass stairwell led to the first floor. Immediately in front was the theatre, with three long rows of seats and a DJ performing a live set while Logic Pro was displayed on the large projection screen. People stood and watched, while others sat with their PowerBooks taking advantage of the Airport haven that is the Apple Store. Practically a whole wall stopped short of The Studio was brimming will shelves stacked with a large selection of games (cracking one myth), educational, utility, productivity and creative software, on top of Apple's offerings. Music, creative, video and gaming peripheral were stocked beneath more displays of iPods, including the iPod photo and U2 SE. Both The Studio and the Genius Bar were densely populated, while a few took advantage of benches to rest tired legs and feet. Families settled their kids into the tiny Kids area, the only place to see eMacs and spongy black spheres. There was a frosted glass walkway connecting one side of the floor to the other, which was fun to walk across although would've been better if it were clear. I would've got the willies.

It's a great store, and it was fantastic to be there on the opening day. I was determined not to leave empty-handed and so made sensible purchasing decisions in the shape of an M-Audio Keystation and a copy of DiskWarrior. Believe me, I couldn't spend a lot more money in there, especially if I turned up after pay day. We queued for 25 minutes and then had to wait for a few more while they pulled a Keystation from the stock room after the one I'd asked for previously didn't show up. While waiting there was an unbelievable amount of money being spent at the pay desk. iMac upon iMac, PowerBook upon PowerBook were being brought out from the stock room, while iPod accessories, software and bits and bobs were being shifted by the second. Many paid in cards, some brave souls paid in huge wads of cash. One gentleman had a trolley-load of items, including a 20" iMac and DV camera, seemingly setting up a powerful creative suite. Tens if not hundreds of thousands of pounds must've been spent that day and I made, in comparison, my meagre contribution.

Rose and I left a little after 2pm in search for a good noodle bar, even though we ended up eating rice dishes, and I had fun carrying around a large Apple Store bag with a hefty, cumbersome MIDI keyboard around London for the rest of the day. We'd stood in line for three hours and 20 minutes and spent almost two hours in the store.

Regents House is a great spot on Regent Street, and Apple are wise to put a flagship store where it can be seen by as many shoppers as possible. The store will serve as a great walk-in point for the curious and the switchers-to-be keen to see what the fuss is about, as well as the advancing Mac users wanting to pad out their set-up or get advice. Even the corporates will find the training facilities useful for enhancing their Apple experience. I wish the store the best, although there's no real need to do so. It will do exactly what it sets out to do, and I hope that the Birmingham and Blackwater announcements are the first of many more Apple Stores to come. I also wish the resellers the best of luck in standing proud alongside the online and physical Apple presence in what could be either a trying time, where Apple skims the cream further; or a beneficial one where the Apple brand and ethos spread further into the UK.

Make it a priority the next time you hit London.

One word of advice: be careful of what you choose to buy from the Apple Store. If you're not local to London or using public transport, you'll get sick of carrying around heavy, cumbersome goods around with you. Large purchases will suit delivery or those who aren't scared of a congestion charge in order to park their car as close to the store as they can. For everyone else, go ahead and buy iPods and accessories, software or maybe even a laptop, and try your hands at all the latest and greatest gear available, but you may find buying those largers items online and getting them delivered a more hassle-free and less strenuous experience.

The Press:

Hardly front page news, but there was some coverage in the British press. Both online and on TV, the BBC covered both the build-up to the opening and the event itself, speaking to those who'd braved the elements the longest in order to say they were one of the first. Also read The Guardian's coverage, which discusses the build and continues the typical themes of coverage when the British press discuss Apple, reluctant to give them a fair crack of the whip: a cult of computer users addicted to stylish and cool, yet user-friendly products which are far more expensive than both the same products in the US, as well as being more expensive than the popular Wintel movement. They'll learn soon enough.

The Links:

Apple UK's coverage | Apple Store Regent Street homepage | Cult of Mac: Wired blog coverage | The first man in line: Stormyshippy | ifo Applestore: Huge diary | Quawn's excellent photo gallery | Opening day photos from MacWorld UK |