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Apple's iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus draw the die-hard, and the hard-living, in downtown Portland [The Oregonian, Portland, Ore.](Oregonian (Portland, OR) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Sept. 19--People sleep out on the streets every night in downtown Portland. This week, at least, some of them apparently expect to make a buck -- or several -- while doing it. Apple's new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus went on sale Friday morning, and the customary lines materialized outside the company's glossy new downtown store. People who had reserved their phones online were whisked inside by Apple's sales personnel while close to 200 others waited outside -- most of whom had been there since Thursday. Mixed in with the usual die-hard Apple fanboys and fangirls outside its downtown store Friday morning were an assortment of more rugged campers, many evidently accustomed to a night on the street. They refrained from giving their names but readily offered, in hushed tones, to buy an iPhone for anyone who approached -- for a fee. Apple's sales associates warn them they don't want to see money changing hands. Apple Store in Downtown Portland opens as iPhone 6 awaits Customers lined up outside the downtown Portland Apple Store early Friday morning, Sept. 19, in anticipation of the release of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. "There's a lot of homeless people here. A homeless guy's not going to have $700 to buy a phone, you know what I'm saying," said Randy Watson, 30, who was waiting out for an iPhone himself. He said he'd spent an "exhausting" night waiting for his phone and figured he'd try it -- and sell it if he doesn't like it. While new iPhones start at $200 for buyers who will commit to a contract with a wireless carrier, a contract-free phone is $650. On eBay, high-end iPhone 6s are already selling for close to $1,000. In China, where the new phones aren't yet on sale, they're going for $2,000 or more. A 29-year-old Portland man who goes by Night Hawk sat in line on the sidewalk outside Apple's store Friday morning while his dog, a Chihuahua/Jack Russell mix called Baby Girl, sat perched on his shoulders. Someone approached him about buying an iPhone for a fee, Night Hawk said, and he readily agreed since he would be outside anyway. But he doesn't know how much he'll make, and won't 'til he reaches the front of the line. Another man, in a red bandana and sandy brown dreadlocks, said he heard through a friend about an offer to make $100 by buying and selling a pair of new iPhones. The man, who moved here from Dallas seven months ago, said he readily agreed to wait out overnight since he'd be outdoors anyway. "I sleep on the curb," he said. Dozens of eager buyers in Portland Friday morning said they plan to keep their new phones, though. Ian Posey has been using a simple, old-school cell phone for the past few months after soaking his last iPhone. He wanted a new smartphone before he starts volunteering at a church in Peru, so spent Thursday night sleeping on a blanket outside Apple's store. "I'm leaving the country soon, so I figured I'd get it before I go." By 9 a.m. Apple was sold out of the new jumbo iPhone 6 Plus downtown, except for a few still available for use on Sprint's network. Regular iPhone 6s were still available. Portland State students Joshua Ruch, 22, and Ben Torrens, 23, lined up at 4 p.m. Thursday for their new iPhone 6s. "It's a social thing," Torrens said. The pair spent the night playing Monopoly and enjoying a mild, late-summer night outside. "It's like a camping in the middle of the city," Torrens said. "Only we're not homeless." -- Mike Rogoway; twitter: @rogoway; 503-294-7699 ___ (c)2014 The Oregonian (Portland, Ore.) Visit The Oregonian (Portland, Ore.) at www.oregonian.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |