Like Schrödinger's cat, I planned to be both covering the iPhone line and waiting in it, to secure a 3G phone for myself. But an hour-and-a-half after opening, only about 15 iPhones had been sold. The line had moved, but almost entirely by wishful thinking, with gaps of people tightening. Ignoring its extra "Gs" of power and Salty's advice, I decided to stick with my original iPhone for the the immediate future. I still need the new one for work, but I can wait a few days, can't I?

I woke up late this morning and scrambled to my closest AT&T store, on Mission and 20th in San Francisco. I thought I'd beat the fanboy rush at the Apple Stores, slipping in and out of an overlooked AT&T location with a smile. I sauntered up at 7:30AM, a half-hour before the automatic doors were turned on. My position was behind a line of about 60, with people spread back like dandelion seeds blown from a breeze. It was sunny, full of iPhones and puppies.

So far, so good.

I first made friends with someone in line, a member of the largely hipster queue. He held my spot, and I went to work. The first people waiting, Andrew Haskin, and Lawrence Cuevas, had arrived at 5:30AM. However, a group just behind claimed that they had been waiting since 4:30AM but decided to sit in a car until Andrew and Lawrence cut them off. They were all friendly with each other. The mood was light. A PG&E truck honked loudly as it drove by, the driver pumping his fist and mouthing "iPhone." This was going to be a day of rainbows made of gumdrops and sunshine.

Andrew Haskin and Lawrence Cuevas see movement.

A few minutes before 8:00, the store manager arranged iPhone and AT&T signs on the sidewalk. At 8:03, both of the early groups were let into the store, to begin their transaction at one of the seven registers. The rest of the line waited, being individually led to an available salesperson. But few opened up. At 8:16, Andrew made it out, with his white, 16GB iPhone in-hand. While the eighth person in line made it in and out just before him, the pace was disappointing.

Soon after, Lawrence left with his new iPhone, and they posed triumphantly outside the store. But the line wasn't even dripping through at this point. To make that metaphor would be an insult to leaks.

Haskin and Cuevas have their phones. Where's yours?

At first, I thought the problem was with AT&T up-selling. Extended warranties were dangled, accessory packages, good today only, were offered. I learned that the Jawphone bluetooth headset transmits "90 percent" of your voice through your jaw. I didn't ask how that fact was tested. I just wanted to believe.

The first five phones took 34 minutes to sell. I picked up other snippets of conversation. Almost all of the computers were slow. Employees called over over managers. Managers called corporate. The system was working, but it was taxed by the worldwide iPhone rush. I heard one purchaser told he'd have a temporary number for about a day until his old number could be ported to the new phone.

Yeah, iPhone dog, we're tired too.

I went back and forth a few times to my line friends. I passed along updates, and after hearing the dire situation, my first contact decided to leave. The others kept waiting, but at 9:30, I left, too. Maybe the line was moving after all, but it was due to shoppers walking away as much as people buying phones.