It's the day for the Apple iPhone to be released to the public, and the public is doing its job to feed into the media frenzy. If you're not on line waiting for the iPhone, you've either seen people waiting on line or mocked people waiting on line (while secretly coveting one, of course). WCBS has some photographs of people on line this morning - someone even brought his dog, which is named Beta! David Clayman, second in line, has been blogging about his waiting at iPhone Adventure. And earlier this week, on the luck of seven interviewed the person at the head of the line, Greg Packer, and Clayman - here's the video. more ›

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Darn - if only we had gone to Uniqlo a couple hours earlier yesterday. We would have seen Mayor Bloomberg join Uniqlo founder (and CEO of parent company Fast Retailing) CEO Tadashi Yanai and Uniqlo USA president Nobuo Domae (we think) in the ribbon cutting ceremony of the Soho store. Yanai said, "Not only is New York City the international fashion capital of the world, but it is also where the original idea for Uniqlo came to me while visiting as a young man in the late 1960's." No word on if the Mayor bought anything. more ›

- And the Fifth Avenue Apple Store welcomed its millionth visitor, Elizabeth Rodriguez more ›

There is nothing funnier - or crazier - than a bunch of rich developers crying over the spilt milk that is a building that slipped through their hands. And the building in at the center of what could be many lawsuits is the GM Building at Fifth Avenue and 58th Street, beloved to many as "where the Fifth Avenue Apple Store is." The NY Times has a feature about two lawsuits from two developers whose bids weren't accepted during a 2003 sale of the GM Building. Leslie Dick and Sheldon Solow separately claim that Conseco sold the GM Building to Harry Macklowe when their bidders were actually higher, so now they are suing Macklowe. Dick insists his bid was $1.5 billion (and claiming that George Soros was pulling various strings behind the scenes to spoil his bid) and Solow saying his was the "highest credible bid" at $1.4 billion. And it gets better more people may be suing, including Larry Silverstein's partner, Lloyd Goldman. Which is fascinating - it seems like when you don't have the winning bid, you've gotta sue to show you do have money and are a credible developer. more ›

- And this picture is from trying not to offend, where ranex's friends were stuck in the Fifth Avenue Apple Store elevator...at least it's clear, so the store knew they were stuck (we were at the Apple Store in SoHo back in 2002 during the lower Manhattan blackout and people were stuck in that elevator then!)... anyway, the folks got out after 45 minutes and gave the NYPD high marks for their help
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Did SNL's Bill Hader get some free gear? more ›

As the public readies to ooh and aah over products at its spacious Fifth Avenue Apple Store, praise is being given to Apple vice president Ron Johnson for his retailing and merchandising innovations. The NY Times looks at his background, which includes Mervyns then 16 years at Target (when Steve Jobs told him Apple "is one of the biggest brands in the world," Johnson told him then the stores should be big) Forrester says that Apple Store revenue was $2489 per square foot, whereas it's $971 at a Best Buy; Apple says Target averages $300 per square foot. But Target isn't paying for sweet retail space. more ›