I think I'm a patient guy.
When Apple introduced the first iPod I waited a solid two years before buying my first.
When the first iPhone came out I was not in line, I waited until the 3G was available, then (after a disappointing wait in line) I waited a few more weeks before finally purchasing one.
Today, however, I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve up to his eyeballs in a flood of anticipation for what Santa will bring, except in this case it's early Summer, I'm a hell of a lot older, and "Santa" hails from Cupertino, California, not the North Pole.
I'm waiting, of course, for iPhone OS 3.0.
Like the millions of other iPhone owners, I can barely contain my excitement in getting this update.
At long last my iPhone would be the device I always believed it could have been, and should have been from the beginning despite its implied coolness and the feeling of smug superiority I felt over other smartphone owners.
(Ok, I never felt smug or superior, but I've so enjoyed the look of envy and amazement on the faces of other smartphone users whenever I whipped out my iPhone and played 'Mary Had a Little Lamb' on Ocarina.)
Soon I would have Notes syncing, landscape texting, and stereo Bluetooth headset compatibility. I could finally look my Windows Mobile using friends in the eye and proudly proclaim, "Yes, my iPhone does, indeed, Cut-n-Paste!!"
I wanted to be one of the first to get this update so I had set my internal alarm ( which is uncannily accurate) and my iPhone alarm ( just in case I hit my internal snooze button) to wake me at midnight and I took a bit of a nap.
At two minutes before midnight I woke (didn't need the iPhone alarm after all), sat down in front of my iMac and went to Apple iPhone site in search of the update.
It wasn't there.
The iPhone site kept telling me the update would be available on June 17 no matter how many times I refreshed the screen.
Still no update!!!
I glanced at the upper right corner of my screen and, sure enough, the time was 12:04 AM and the date is 6/17.
What gives Apple?
Apparently not iPhone OS 3.0.
After maybe 100 more screen refreshes I started to get a bit miffed, thinking that the elves at 1 Infinite Loop had fallen asleep on the job or had become masochists and intended to force me and the rest of the world to wait until 11:59 PM on 6/17 to start updating.
I was about to shake my fist and hurl a string of expletives westward when I realized that I live in Florida, in the Eastern Standard Time Zone. Cupertino is on Pacific Time, a full three hours behind me. I would have to try this again at 3AM.
Sheepishly, I stowed the fist and expletives.
Patience, that's the ticket. I'll watch a few episodes of Burn Notice on Hulu (mushy, mushy).
Patience.
Update (3:10 AM): still no iPone OS 3.0. getting sleepy. must slep.
Update No. 2 (6:15 AM): Patience? Screw patience! DAMN YOU APPLE! Where the update?? Why are you doing this to me???