Citizens of San Francisco had first dibs on purchasing the T-Mobile G1 last night as the device is set to begin selling across the country today.
Noted for being the first mobile device powered by Google’s Android platform, T-Mobile began offering the G1 manufactured by HTC at San Francisco’s Market Street outlet Tuesday evening. The anticipation was met with a line of around 150 people, eager to be among the first to own the device.
Christopher Laddish, the first consumer to purchase the G1 stated “I was sold on it without even having to pick it up.” Not only was he the first to own the device, but was given a t-shirt by T-Mobile that read “I was the first to get it.” Now if that doesn’t make a mother feel proud, I’m not sure what will. Laddish went on to note that his contract with Verizon had recently ended and decided on getting the G1 because he appreciates both HTC and Google products.
Close in price to the iPhone 3G, the G1 rings in at $180 coupled with a two year contract, or $400 unsubsidized. It sports a 3.2-inch touchscreen display and boasts a QWERTY keyboard, a feature that many iPhone owners have lusted for since the device’s inception.
Another eager customer waiting in line, Chijioke Amah, stated, “I’ve been reading a lot about the phone for the last couple of weeks and I’m not really a big fan of the iPhone touch screen…That’s probably what made me not that interested in the iPhone. When I heard T-Mobile was going to have the Google phone with a keyboard, that’s what got my attention.”
Yet what impact will the device truly have in the smartphone market? Yesterday’s conference call on Apple’s Q4 earnings showed the significant growth of the iPhone 3G and its ever expanding stronghold. As we have recently been made aware, Apple has managed to overtake RIM in revenue, a feat of epic proportions for only being around for a mere 15 months. Whether or not the reported figures will sustain in the long run is just something that we will have to see in the future. While predominant analysts believe the G1 will not hinder iPhone sales, it will be interesting to see what effect the G1 will really have.
[MacWorld]
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