<--- Yes, that's me, grinning like an idiot in the screen of my new iPhone. I passed 3-block-long lines outside stores last night, composed of haggard-yet-hopeful faces, people who had stood in queue for over twelve hours in anticipation of the release. When the first customer finally emerged from the AT&T store on Broadway and St. Mark's Place, holding his shiny iPhone package aloft, cheering erupted upon the sidewalk. (True story. Unscripted.)  I kept on walking, ulcerous with envy, choking down the resignation that I would have to wait a few weeks, or possibly pay with my firstborn for one on eBay.

Then this morning, on a whim, we called the Apple Store in SoHo. Before we had even asked the question, the service rep cheerily informed us, "Yes, we still have iPhones. We have plenty."  The miracle continued to unfold:  20 minutes later, we walked into the Apple Store, which was a madhouse, but no more so than usual. We walked up to a counter (no lines), plopped down our credit cards, and walked out with iPhones in hand. Three minutes, tops. My toaster can't even brown a slice of Wonderbread in that amount of time.

Once I got home, it was a simple matter of logging onto iTunes, transferring my mobile number over from T-Mobile to AT&T, and filling out a couple short forms. No having to go to an AT&T store, no phone calls, no waiting. Within seven minutes of emerging from the box, my iPhone was fully functional, voice service and all. Within another fifteen, it was fully loaded up: with my music, mail, videos, photos, address book, and calendar, all seamlessly synched through iTunes.

As far as the iPhone itself, well – you've heard what David Pogue has to say. It's all that, and more. But most importantly: getting it, and getting it going, was a blissfully blood-free process.  And regardless of what Lee Clow may do for Apple's image, it's days like today that go a long way toward building a great brand experience.