iPhone 5S Is Out Now! Here Are 9 Productive Things to Do While You Wait in Line at the Apple Store

Apple stores started selling the new phone today, we brainstorm some ways you can pass the time

By John Boone Sep 20, 2013 7:24 PMTags
iPhone QueueSean Gallup/Getty Images

The iPhone 5S is among us (and the iPhone 5C too, we guess, if you're into that). The new and improved model officially hit stores today, Friday, Sept. 20, but people started queuing in lines hours, days, years(?) ago.

According to ISI and Piper Jaffray analysts, Apple should sell somewhere between 5 and 6 million iPhones this weekend, with lines even longer than they were when the 5 was released.

So while you wait—for hours, days, years(?)—here are a few productive things you can be doing, ranked from least to most productive.

1. Call Your Mother: It's been a while and she likes hearing from you, m'kay?

Mary Turner/Getty Images

2. Read a Book: Who are we kidding? We mean binge on a TV show: Orange Is the New Black is great. You could get caught up on Breaking Bad (you only have five seasons to watch and you'll be ready for the series finale). Maybe this is the time to finally watch The Wire. But probably not.

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3. Come to Terms With Fact That You're Not Getting a Gold iPhone 5S: The new gold iPhone is so pretty. And shiny and pretty and GOLD. But you're not going to get one—they're sold out!

One California location we know of only received one gold 5S and it sold to the first customer, so you should accept that fact that you'll end up with a silver or "Space Gray" model before you meet with an Apple employee. Denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. You have time for it all. 

(If you decided not to wait in line and opt to order online, you can receive a silver or "Space Gray" version within 7 to 10 business days. Gold models won't ship until October.)

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4. Figure Out How iOS 7 Works: Right now you probably feel like this kid:

But by the time you reach the front of the line you'll be a pro! By then, iOS 8 might be out too...

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6. Fall in Love: Propose, have the person in line behind you ordain themselves online (he or she can do it in a few minutes on their old, crappy iPhone 5) and marry you, start a new life together.

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7. Cure Cancer.

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8. Bring About World Peace.

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9. Beat Candy Crush: There's only 400+ levels.

You might even have some time left over for items 1-8.