Apple store iPhone line materializes (kinda)

Wannabe iPhone buyers have been camping outside Apple stores elsewhere in the country, such as in New York City, since early this week. So what about Minnesota?

Well, a line started forming outside the Mall of America's Apple store earlier this afternoon -- sort of.

At 2 p.m., a gentleman identified as Joe Dowdell appeared (see picture sent to me by Apple). But later in the afternoon, he was gone.

Mall officials politely shoo-ed him away, I'm told. Turns out the megamall allows no overnight queuing or camping (even for an iPhone, if you can believe that) inside the building or outside if it's on mall property.

But iPhone fanatics are being invited to line up starting at 5 a.m. tomorrow. Mall doors open at 7 a.m. The iPhone goes on sale at 6 p.m. at the mall's Apple and AT&T stores.

(Update: Just heard from Dowdell, who saw my blog entry minutes after it was posted -- now that was fast, dude -- and he confirms security personnel told him not to loiter outside the store today, or to camp out overnight outside the building. But the University of Minnesota computer-science student said he planned to be at the megamall bright and early on Friday.)

Meanwhile, at AT&T's Highland Park store on Thursday evening, employees had set up a divider rope to keep the iPhone hordes in check, and posted a sign that read, "Phone Camp-Out (no bonfires please)."

Only no one had arrived.

That might change later tonight -- though it'll be chilly, guys, just warnin' ya -- and certainly tomorrow.

But, still, iPhone hype may be just a wee bit overblown locally compared to, say, the PlayStation 3 debut that had fans camping out a full two nights beforehand.

Update: At least one AT&T store, in Burnsville, had an overnight line forming, last I heard.