Apple Store

BoomBoom. BoomBoom.

Would, for Kiefer's sake, that it was an episode of 24 and he could just ask the writers to script him in a tasty new iPhone 3G (or just work out a product placement with Apple). Sadly, in the real world, no matter who you might think you are, how entitled a cele-bratty you may have become, and how much fiction has become substantially linked with fact in your braid, no one -- and we mean no one -- plays the snob card better than Apple.

So, if you walk into a New York Apple Store and demand the manager give you a pre-lease iPhone 3G, even if you're the star of a decreasingly popular, increasingly formulaic serial drama, don't expect to leave with anything more than a perfectly balance, elegantly finished, state-of-the-art DENIED for your trouble.

(Most likely, the manager, like 99% of other Apple employees, hasn't even held the iPhone 3G yet, much less been given a secret stash to pass on to celebrity walk ins. Either that or the manager must have feared Kiefer would try to unlock the iPhone right there in the store. He is, after all, a well known pirate... Video proof after the break...)

Update: Or maybe not: Jules lets us know in the comments that it was all just a fun game by The Defamer. Still any chance to watch Kiefer take down a Christmas tree is one worth taking. - Dieter

First up, Engadget reportedly got their techie mitts on a leaked version of the iPhone's (final?) 2.0 firmware and are kind enough to share the following juice details:

24 hours. 7 days a week. 365 1/4 days a year.

That's how often the Apple Store on 5th Avenue in New York City is open. Don't know which one I'm talking about? The big glass cube on the most expensive street in the world! This flagship store is perhaps the brightest jewel in Apple Retail, often hosting performances from the likes of Maroon 5 & Linkin Park and becoming a new landmark for tourists to visit in the city that never sleeps. It's open all day, everyday.

Well, if you don't count today.

Store.apple.com is down right now, which usually means one of tow things. Either Apple's IT staff is performing maintenance on their servers, or new products are about to be posted. Nope, neither is the case. The real reason; I bought a second iPhone today, and that brought the online store to its knees. Yes, that's it. Take that, Apple. Fortunately the store went down after my iPhone shipped.

Now to track my package and bring Fedex down as well.

[update:] It's back up and it appears to be nothing more than a maintenance update. I noticed the site was having issues throughout the day, shortly after I placed my order.

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