I finally got inside around 10 a.m. Within an hour of spending my $299, I was home, my still-bricked iPhone plugged into my MacBook generating the dreaded "Accessing iTunes Store" message (including those error codes: -4, -50 and -9838). The iTunes Store could not be contacted; I was urged "to try again later." I knew from the buzz online that I was not alone, but I didn't want to try again later. I wanted my phone working and I wanted it now.

Apple, it seemed, didn't learn from last year's iPhone launch, which was also plagued with iTunes activation issues.

I repeated the process so many times that when I finally saw a screen asking if I wanted to activate my iPhone—it was at 3:10 p.m.—I stared at it, briefly bewildered before rushing through the steps of verifying my phone number, entering my Apple ID, agreeing to the terms of service and finally telling iTunes to restore from my first generation iPhone's backup. I held my breath until the iPhone restarted. More than 9 hours after I first got in line for a new phone, I was finally up and running.

Comparisons with the first iPhone

The very first thing I noticed about the iPhone 3G compared to the original model is that it's slightly heavier. The dimensions are almost the same, although the iPhone 3G is slightly thicker in the middle and more tapered at the edges. This slightly rounded form factor feels better in your hand over extended periods, though the combination of smooth plastic and beveled form might also make it a little harder to grip. My advice: Get a case to protect the iPhone if it happens to slip from your hand. As widely noted already, the headphone jack is no longer recessed, enabling the use of any standard set of headphones.

One thing that doesn't come across in photos is how striking the white model actually is. I'd gone into the AT&T store determined to get a black model because the white ones didn't look good to me in pictures and I figured it would show dirt more easily. Once I saw the white model in person, I changed my mind.

Something else you don't notice in photos is a slight difference in the screens between the new and original iPhones. Both offer excellent resolution and clarity, but there are subtle differences in color shading and black tones. The colors seem slightly richer on the iPhone 3G, though the difference is small enough that you need to place both phones side by side to really see it.