After cold overnight wait for new iPhone X: ‘Next time I’ll preorder’

Nearly 200 people lined up outside the new Apple store on Michigan Avenue Friday morning, eagerly waiting to purchase the newest iPhone.

Chase Thilleman had set up camp outside the store, 401 N. Michigan Ave., at noon Thursday. After a 20-hour wait, Thilleman finally bought his iPhone X when the store opened at 8 a.m. Friday.

Thilleman wasn’t the only person eager to get his hands on a new iPhone X (say “iPhone 10” — this year marks the iPhone’s 10th anniversary).

Olivia O’Neil and Ean Neyrey, both 18 and freshmen at Illinois Institute of Technology, came straight from The Weeknd concert at the United Center Thursday night. They said they got to the store at 11:30 p.m. and waited overnight with roughly 100 strangers. While Neyrey held their spot in line, O’Neil took an Uber home to pick up two blankets — one to sit on and one to share — and a backpack to get them through the night.

As of 9 a.m. Friday, O’Neil and Neyrey were still waiting in line in their concert clothes. Both were shivering and O’Neil actually turned her gray cardigan backward to try to stay warm.

“We’re so cold. I can’t feel my toes,” said O’Neil, who added that they’re both from New Orleans and not conditioned for cold weather. “We’re like losing functioning. The wind was what really got us last night.”

But O’Neil and Neyrey believed the iPhone X was worth the wait, and so did many others.

The iPhone X is loaded with high-end hardware and new features, including three top-notch cameras and wireless charging. Apple got rid of the home button on the iPhone X and added a new feature called “Face ID” that unlocks the phone when the user looks at it.

The starting retail price: a whopping $999. The more traditional iPhone 8 starts at $699, though with a smaller screen.

Neyrey finally got his iPhone X about 9:30 a.m., about 10 hours after he arrived. After tax, AppleCare insurance plan and a phone case, his total bill was $1,388.

O’Neil didn’t end up buying the new phone because she wasn’t ready for an upgrade with her phone plan.

Although Neyrey said it was cool to experience waiting overnight for the new phone, he doesn’t plan to do it again.

“First time and last time I’ll wait in line,” Neyrey said. “Next time I’ll preorder it.”

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