I’m at the Apple Flagship Store, waiting in line for the latest, greatest iPhone 3G S. 10 or so people right now, but apparently some tour buses are on the way. We’ll update this thread with more from TiPb and our readers, so if you’re in line, head over to the TiPb iPhone Forums and post your pics, stories, and videos. Dieter will move some of the funnest over here.

Good luck to all!

[pic thanks to @Forian}

[The updates continue after the break!]

Our good pal Matthew Miller of Nokia Experts fame lined up in Seattle at 2:30am local.

Meanwhile, many folks in Europe already have the 3G S in hand, per pguich in our iPhone Forums:

Switzerland started selling iphones about an hour ago. I was there 5 minutes before opening, and there were about 3 people waiting (I think 2 weren’t even there for the iphone). Doesn’t look like the mad rush from last year is going to happen.

Chad Garrett boldly waited until 6:00 am to line up at Kenwood Towne Center in Cincinnati, OH and it doesn’t look like he’ll miss out on his iPhone 3G S because of his tardiness.

Forum member nyknicks4412 is genuinely excited about his iPhone 3G S video taken in the parking lot above.

Leanne Lofte isn’t so sure that she needed to show up at 5:30am in Monterey, CA, what with only nine people in line.

Matthew Miller sends word that rain has finally come to Seattle… just in time to fall on iPhone Line sitters. Fortunately, there are umbrellas to be had.

Rene’s all set! No activation yet, though — has to go home and do it through iTunes, he says.

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPB Standing in Line for the iPhone 3G S

Upgrading to an iPhone 3G S in Canada? We feel for you, and we fear we’re going to continue to feel for you for a healthy portion of the day. Last year there were activation backlogs and hang-ups all over, but it was especially egregious in Canada, where people were waiting for half the day for Rogers’ system to get up and happy and talking with Apple’s system.

Our esteemed editor Rene Ritchie just called in from his Apple Store to say that their system isn’t showing the 3G S on the Rogers system and it’s unclear how exactly it’s going to be resolved. Last year we heard 6-hour-wait horror stories. This year we’re crossing our fingers that resolution will come more quickly.

On the bright side, we haven’t heard a whiff of a problem anywhere else. From Switzerland to Cincinnati people who didn’t pre-order are finding lines short enough to guarantee everybody will get their phone and activations almost as quick as the iPhone 3G S itself.

Update: Rene is currently channeling the fury of his fellow Rogers-snafu-victims on his twitter feed.

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Rogers Customers: Prepare for a Long Wait. Everybody Else: Smile

King Kong-sized iPhone at the Apple Flagship Store in Montreal highlights the new iPhone 3G S and iPhone 3.0 software features.

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Apple Store iPhone 3G S Display Video

Well that didn’t take long. RapidRepair.com just let us know they’ve already gotten their iPhone 3G S and rendered it directly down to its component parts.

Let the analysis begin!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

iPhone 3G S – Disassembled

Ooops. Remember Wednesday when we dropped word on the blogs that the Onyx had been tagged the 9020 and that we had also heard the trackball would be staying on the final version?? Well we've got good news – it turns out that in regards to the trackball, that's not the case!!!

Upon further digging, and double confirming with some trusty peeps who have now actually seen it, there are already now Onyx's in existence that in fact have the optical trackpad (currently featured in the Curve 8520 – pictured above on right). The new and improved word is that the Onyx's buttons have received a slight redesign to accomodate the inclusion of the trackpad and that the 9020 will go to market with it. Awesome. This all jives well with previous word (dating back to May) that the Onyx/Driftwood would definitely be getting it (even though pre-release devices were sporting trackballs).

As for why the Onyx didn't have the trackpad in place from the get-go, I think part of the reason has to do with the fact the Curve 85xx was designed by RIM's Florida team (tasked with reducing costs/replacement), while the onyx was/is being developed by RIM's German design team, obviously somewhat in parallel. Though the trackpad isn't a 'perfect' solution (check out this forum post of where it has let me down just once in over six weeks of use), as I've gushed many times in the blogs already I'm absolutely in love with it. Now I'm truly excited for the Onyx. I can't wait to see photos of the updated device. The only bad news here is for the those who have pre-release Onyx's… it's hard to say (I'm guessing it's doubtful??) that future firmware upgrades will continue to support the trackball with the trackpad now going in place. Ah well.. them is the breaks. Bring on the trackpad!

CrackBerry.com’s feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. BlackBerry 9020 (Onyx) to Get Optical Trackpad Afterall

Rogers and Fido are running a special offer for existing customers who wish to upgrade to the new iPhone 3Gs. These

Rogers customers:

1) If you got an iPhone between July 11th and Sept 30th and spend at least $100 a month then you can get $500 off an iPhone 3Gs if you tack an extra year onto your contract. So you can get a 16GB 3Gs for $199 and a 32GB 3Gs for $299. This offer expires July 31st 2009.

2) If you got an iPhone between July 11th and Dec 31st and don’t spend $100 a month then you get $250 off if you tack an extra year on your contract. So, 16GB 3Gs for $449 and 32GB 3Gs for $549. This offer expires July 31st 2009.

3) If the first 2 scenarios aren’t you or you don’t want another year on your conract you can upgrade to an iPhone at Rogers’ cost + $19. So, 8GB 3G for $599,  16GB 3Gs for $680 or 32GB 3Gs for $799.

Fido Customers:

You can use your FidoDollars to buy a new 3Gs and Fido will take another $100 off. You don’t have to extend your contract to get this.

The 6GB/$30 data plan is also back until July 31st for Rogers and Fido iPhone (and Rogers Android phone) customers.

So, is the glass half full or is it half empty? If you absolutely must have the new 3Gs and don’t mind another year on your contract it’s not so bad. Just remember that while the new 3Gs is a definite improvement over the 3G, Apple’s going to keep releasing new iPhones that will probably be better than the previous version.

On the other hand, we’re going to have some new wireless entrants coming late this year, early next so it might be best to sit back and see what happens.

Still, Rogers doesn’t normally run promotions like this so if you don’t plan on going anywhere give it some though.

and that

IKEA and Spike Jonze remind us above that you can’t really hurt your old iPhone’s feelings by upgrading to the latest, greatest iPhone 3G S, but that doesn’t mean you have to dump the poor obsoleted fella either.

So what are your plans for your last-year’s iPhone 3G or original iPhone 2G? Selling them on eBay? Unlocking them to use as travel devices? Keeping them as backup? Turning them into a dedicated couch-bound iTunes/Apple TV remote? Gifting them to a needy family member or friend? Saving them up to build the world’s tallest iPhone tower? Sending them to Cellphones for Soldiers? What?

Let us know in the comments!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Upgrading to iPhone 3G S? What Are You Doing With Your Old iPhone?

Someone in iPhone documentation has been busy lately. Not only did Apple post an iPhone guide for Enterprise today, but now here’s the iPhone User Guide for iPhone OS 3.0 Software PDF (via iLounge).

Some 200+ pages long, you can read it while waiting in line for your shiny iPhone 3G S tomorrow, or roll it up into a cudgel-like wad and use it to fend off any would-be line-jumpers. Either way, this is the grand-daddy of iPhone references for this year!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Apple Releases iPhone 3.0 User Guide PDF

TiPb just received word from Rogers and, well, it’s typically long and complicated so we’ll just give them the floor:

We’ve just announced the details of special Hardware Upgrade savings for our existing iPhone customers and wanted to let you know.

There has been a lot of excitement around the new iPhone 3G S and we wanted to recognize the early adopters who helped make the iPhone the hottest-selling handset in Canadian wireless history. We will be discounting the price of the iPhone 3G S by between $250 and $500 to provide savings to many of our iPhone customers.

What this means is that eligible iPhone owners can acquire the iPhone 16GB 3G S for as low as $199 or the 32GB for as low as $299 until July 31, 2009.

For Fido customers, we’re offering the Fido Rewards iPhone 3G S promotion. This enables iPhone customers to redeem FidoDollars towards a new iPhone 3G S with an additional $100 top-up from Fido.

For customers who don’t qualify for these extra savings, we are pleased to offer Rogers Wireless customers the iPhone at our cost on rogers.com. This cost – $580 for the iPhone 3G, $680 for the iPhone 3G S 16GB and $780 for the iPhone 3G S 32GB – represents the price we pay for the device plus a nominal fee for the SIM card. Customers can access these devices at retail locations for just $19 more for the three devices.

We’re also happy to announce that Rogers and Fido are extending the 6GB/$30 data promotion until July 31. This offer is valid for customers on a new or existing iPhone plan or customers buying an Android-powered HTC Magic or HTC Dream.

Details after the break!

Five ways to save

1) For Rogers Wireless customers who bought an iPhone 3G between July 11 and Sept. 30, 2008, and with an average monthly spend of at least $100, Rogers will provide $500 off the cost of an iPhone 3G S. This special offer expires July 31, 2009 and comes with the addition of a one-year term to the customer’s existing service agreement.

• 16GB 3GS $199
• 32GB 3GS $299

2) For Rogers Wireless customers who bought an iPhone between July 11 and Dec. 31, 2008, but aren’t eligible for the above offer, Rogers will provide $250 dollars off the purchase of an iPhone 3G S. This special offer expires July 31, 2009 and comes with the addition of a one-year term to the customer’s existing service agreement.

• 16GB 3GS $449
• 32GB 3GS $549

3) All Rogers Wireless customers can upgrade to the iPhone 3GS at our cost at Rogers.com, or for a suggested retail price of just $19 more than our cost through our retail channels.

• 8GB 3G $580/$599
• 16GB 3GS $680/$699
• 32GB 3GS $780/$799

4) Fido customers can take advantage of the Fido Rewards iPhone 3G S promotion:

• Use FidoDollars towards the purchase of a new iPhone 3G S
• Fido will top up the FidoDollars amount by $100
• This promotion does not include an extension or renewal of their service agreement.

5) New and existing iPhone customers can take advantage of a limited-time promotion of 6GB of data for $30, now extended until July 31. Other Rogers and Fido data plans will remain the same, including the only national standalone data plan at $25 per month for 500 MB. We know that this is the right plan for most Canadians – 93 per cent of current iPhone customers on a data plan use less than 500 MB of data per month.

So, has this changed anyone’s mind about upgrading on Rogers or Fido?

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Rogers Canada 11th Hour iPhone 3G S Savings! Sign for 1 Addition Year, Save Up to $500

AT&T (via MacRumors) has posted a video of iPhone 3G S getting dressed up for its big debut tomorrow morning. If you ordered from them Empire, one of those just might be yours!

TiPb will be in line tomorrow. If you see any of us, say hello! And make sure you join us here on the blog and in the forums so we can all share pictures and updates on what’s come to be the yearly Super Bowl of gadget releases.

Is it tomorrow yet?

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

AT&T Gets their iPhone 3G S Pack On!