{"id":627778,"date":"2026-09-17T19:24:26","date_gmt":"2026-09-17T19:24:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/627778\/"},"modified":"2026-09-17T19:24:26","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T19:24:26","slug":"lineup-begins-for-iphone18-in-tokyo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/627778\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cLineup\u201d begins for iPhone18 in Tokyo"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

It\u2019s more of a pointup than a lineup though.<\/p>\n

On 16 September, our veteran reporter Mr. Sato was strolling through Tokyo\u2019s Omotesando neighborhood. It was a rather wet and miserable day, as many this autumn seem to be, but at least things were cooling down from the intense summer.<\/p>\n

He looked around at all the shops, some new, some old, but one that has really stood the test of time was the SoftBank Omotesando shop. That place was special to Mr. Sato as it was the first place he ever lined up to be one of the first to purchase the iPhone 4 back in 2010. \u201cHas it really been 16 years?\u201d he thought to himself.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Our writer was thinking about how a person born that year would be in high school by now, when he suddenly spotted something peculiar in front of the SoftBank\u2026 It was an orange mohawk.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Orange mohawks are a rare sight in Japan, so Mr. Sato was fairly certain it was none other than Butch a.k.a. Big Wave.<\/p>\n

Mr. Sato: \u201cButch! What are you doing standing out in the rain?!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Butch: \u201cOh, s\u2019up bruh!!!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Mr. Sato: \u201cAren\u2019t you cold? What are you doing out here?\u201d<\/p>\n

Butch: \u201cPffft, like you don\u2019t know\u2026 It\u2019s the event of the century, bruh! The iPhone! The new iPhone is coming out! And when a new iPhone launches, that\u2019s my cue, baby!\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr. Sato: \u201cOh, is that this week? So, it\u2019s already time for that crazy expensive phone to come out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Butch: \u201cThat\u2019s right! Don\u2019t tell me you forgot, bruh. What happened to the guy who used to line up with me back in the day?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Mr. Sato: \u201cYeah, I totally forgot. I\u2019m actually using an Android now, so I haven\u2019t been keeping track of the release dates.\u201d<\/p>\n

Butch: \u201cDang, I guess changing to Android makes you a really dull guy too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr. Sato: \u201cI just lost interest. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s the phone\u2019s fault.\u201d<\/p>\n

Butch: \u201cIf you say so, bruh.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not wanting to stand out in the rain any longer, Mr. Sato wished Butch well and went on his way.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

As he walked, Mr. Sato looked back on those days. For a brief moment in history, iPhone launches were major cultural events, and Mr. Sato was right in the middle of it all. For two years in a row, he first person in Japan to purchase a new iPhone model after its launch<\/a>, rubbing shoulders with celebrities like Ken Watanabe at the celebratory ceremony.<\/p>\n

\u25bc \u00a0Mr. Sato was celebrated<\/a> as the first iPhone5S owner in Japan in 2013.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

And it was on the iPhone line circuit that he met Butch, whose eye-catching appearance and effervescent attitude made him a constant presence on TV news coverage of iPhone releases.<\/p>\n

\u25bc News report of the iPhone3G release in 2008. Butch can be seen a little under a minute into it.<\/p>\n

He even managed to parlay that into acting and modeling work, appearing as the mascot for Taco Bell Japan<\/a> at one point.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

However, as the years passed, the excitement of yet another iPhone that wasn\u2019t hugely different from the year before dwindled<\/a>. At the same time, Mr. Sato grew older. Now in his 50s, he doubted he had the stamina to spend three days and nights on a sidewalk.<\/p>\n

Butch is younger by about 10 years, but is just getting to that age where aches and pains become more frequent, and the invincibility of youth begins to falter. And yet, he still tirelessly shows up every year to camp out on the sidewalk and wait for the new iPhone, even after the rest of the world has moved on.<\/p>\n

\u25bcButch in 2024<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Mr. Sato began to feel bad for his friend and decided that the next day he would hold an intervention for him on the sidewalk in front of the SoftBank Omotesando.<\/p>\n

On 17 September, Mr. Sato returned to the lineup for the iPhone18, which consisted solely of Butch. As he approached, he thought that perhaps if he could show his pal how far Android has come along in terms of performance and affordability, perhaps he could finally pack up his lawn chair and pursue a new hobby.<\/p>\n

Mr. Sato: \u201cButch, it\u2019s been raining non-stop. Are you alright?!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Butch: \u201cBruh, do I look alright to you? I\u2019m cold and wet, and my lower back is killing me, dog.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Mr. Sato: \u201cButch, it\u2019s over. The iPhone dream is dead, man. It\u2019s time to wake up and see that!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Butch: \u201cBut, bruh\u2026 It\u2019s just\u2026 I\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Mr. Sato: \u201cEnough. Android is pretty good too, you know. If you still think it\u2019s that sluggish phone of a decade ago, you\u2019re wrong, man. The world has changed. The iPhone isn\u2019t the only game in town anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Butch: \u201cBut the release date is coming up\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Mr. Sato: \u201cYou damn fool! Even the cheapest iPhone is 219,800 yen (US$1,400) and the 2TB iPhone 18 Pro is freaking 449,800 yen ($2,900)! Forgetting about specs, you can get a brand new Android for just 22,000 yen ($141)! Don\u2019t you see?!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Butch: \u201cThat\u2019s not it, bruh. I mean\u2026 I\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Mr. Sato: \u201cListen to me, Butch. You\u2019ve done enough. You led the charge on iPhone releases, made \u201cyou gotta ride this Big Wave\u201d a popular catchphrase, and inspired the nation with your ASCII art.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cBut look around you. There are fewer and fewer young people who even know what ASCII art is, let alone an iPhone lineup. The iPhone 3G came out 18 years ago, man. Isn\u2019t it time to hang up your mohawk? Android is really pretty decent now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Butch: \u201cBruh, you totally got it twisted\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Butch: \u201cIt\u2019s just that I\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Butch: \u201cI LOVE THE LINE!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Butch: \u201cI don\u2019t care about the iPhone\u2026 I care about lining up!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Butch\u2019s admission gave Mr. Sato pause. Indeed, Big Wave had eluded to being more a fan of lining up for iPhones<\/a> than the iPhones themselves in past years. Our reporter realized he took the completely wrong approach in trying to make Butch see the light.<\/p>\n

Mr. Sato: \u201cOf course\u2026 You were never lining up to buy an iPhone. You always lined up just to be in the line.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Defeated, Mr. Sato once again wished Butch well and went on his way back to his dry and heated home. He wondered how long Butch would continue to be a lineup of one<\/a> in front of the SoftBank Omotesando now that the rest of the world has moved on.<\/p>\n

Perhaps he could find his friend something more popular to line up for these days, something with other people so that Butch could find that joy and excitement of waiting again, and something that didn\u2019t cost as much as a used car.<\/p>\n

Photos \u00a9SoraNews24
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