DISQUS

Chris Brogan: Guy Grilling the iPhone Guy – A True Story Told in Tweets

  • Nate · 5 months ago
    Haha! That is insane. I am laughing so hard right now. You definately just made my day with that.
  • facebook-6902549 · 5 months ago
    Wonderful! Made me laugh out loud, thank you!
  • Kate Styer · 5 months ago
    Thank you very much!
  • Jackie Adkins · 5 months ago
    This was a hilarious story to follow, thanks for sharing. If that guy knew about this new technology they're working on he'd seriously wig out: http://mashable.com/2009/07/10/iphone-object-re...
  • banannie · 5 months ago
    Makes me kinda glad I didn't get that job at the Apple Store...
  • gurukarm @karma-musings · 5 months ago
    O.M.G.!!! After all that, he did NOT buy?? Guess the Apple store folks are used to all kinds, eh?

    Great story, thanks for tweeting/sharing!
  • Andrea · 5 months ago
    That made my day :)
  • belchingmonkey · 5 months ago
    The best part may be that the guy has no idea you wrote this article. #iphonegrill
  • Kate · 5 months ago
    I really hope that was a prank the poor guy's friends dared him to do.

    Seriously!?! Does he live in a bubble?

    Great for a summer Friday afternoon!
  • Kenya · 5 months ago
    I hope so too. He can't be for real.
  • geechee_girl · 5 months ago
    This made me smile :) I love it
  • Rachel Levy · 5 months ago
    OMG, I saw all your tweets yesterday, and was cracking up the entire time. Thanks for the entertainment.
  • Tom Redwine · 5 months ago
    Same here, I was rolling, eyes tearing, waiting for the next update - like seconds later - then more howls!

    Unfortunately reminds me of when I worked at Radio Shack some twenty-mumble years ago - had LOTS of folks like that looking at those computer-things. Guess they had kids...
  • davefleet · 5 months ago
    Priceless. Just priceless.
  • Mike McDermott · 5 months ago
    I was in a conference when you started the "grilling the iPhone guy" bit and had to leave midway because I could not hold back the laughs. This was sooo funny! Thanks for capturing it in a blog post, it really was something to watch live.
  • Chris Brogan · 5 months ago
    Crap. No refunds on that conference you missed! : )
  • David · 5 months ago
    This is the most awesome overheard tweet story I've read to date! Too funny!!
  • Michael · 5 months ago
    Almost Seinfeldian. I did tech support for Adobe for five years, so I'm quite acquainted with that - especially from manning a station at MacWorld - but at least the customers I spoke to had already bought the product.
  • Rohit · 5 months ago
    Not to compare ... but my 1 and a half year old can already answer calls on my Blackberry. Maybe I can send him over as a tech consultant for this guy. ;-)
  • Chris Brogan · 5 months ago
    Oh, I think most folks could outwit the griller. But hey, he had the coolest hearing aids EVER. They had Bluetooth in them. Not kidding. How cool is that?
  • rohitbhargava · 5 months ago
    Great - though he's probably going to CVS next to ask if he can pair them with a box of Q-tips ...
  • Chris Brogan · 5 months ago
    Wow! A full on ...SNORT out of me from that one. : )
  • deanholmes · 5 months ago
    The Griller had Bluetooth Hearing Aids and was asking these types of questions about the iPhone?
  • Chris Brogan · 5 months ago
    I should be clear: My feelings on the story aren't like "what a moron. He's clearly not very advanced. har har har." Instead it's more like, "He was going SO DEEP into the product demo requests, and it was just a bit silly in the larger scale of things."
  • reneestorey · 5 months ago
    I followed this thread live last night and just cracked up. This is the stuff I love on twitter. Also, Chris, enjoyed seeing your kids during podcampohio.
  • bill_free · 5 months ago
    I can CALL people?

    Thanks. Turned an upside down day rightside up again. Sort of. Great post.
  • Debbie Summers · 5 months ago
    I must be a freak... I picked the iPhone up for the first time and the sales guy walked over and asked me if he could help me and I said yes... I want this. No questions, no nothing... Ring me up.
  • jvelthoen · 5 months ago
    That was definitely one of the best stories I have followed on twitter! Thanks for the hour of laughs =]
  • Andrew Weaver · 5 months ago
    One thing is for sure. That guy will probably NEVER stumble across this post and realize he was blogged about.
  • davecriswell · 5 months ago
    Chris, what a great use of Twitter! I'll have to remember to try this the next time I overhear one of those stranger than life conversations we always seem to come across!
  • Tracy Gottschlich · 5 months ago
    freakin hilarious! I OH someone saying the other day (I live in a tourist town in AK) ~ they have a Mexican restaurant here! I swear.....
  • Imokon · 5 months ago
    Are you sure the guy grillin' just wasn't pulling the iphone guy's leg? Because some customers like to do that. They probably think it's funnier than you did.

    It's such a grey line.. I really hate it when you can't tell!
  • MattWilsontv · 5 months ago
    I love Will it Blend!
  • sueontheweb · 5 months ago
    Thank you for this, it was too funny.
  • debbahaupert · 5 months ago
    Chris - that was good Friday night entertainment - thanks!

    And thanks to your advice at SobCon, I just got a new iPhone too. The only thing I thought was interesting to overhear, or 'curious' as your guy put it, was how much teen/young adult kids totally suck up to their parents in the Apple store. I'm sure they barely speak outside of the mall, but in that store, parents - with credit cards, are honored and admired.

    And, I'm loving my iPhone. Thanks!
  • amywesely · 5 months ago
    Chris, I was following your tweets live on this event - I was cracking up. I
  • nickybailey · 5 months ago
    That is a very funny post and I really love your blog Chris so keep up the great work.
    Nicky xxx
  • James NomadRip · 5 months ago
    I was so disappointed that you didn't interview him afterward. He will never know he is famous :-)
  • Jet Boy · 5 months ago
    Many of those sound like reasonable questions to me. In fact, many of them I don't know the answer to.
  • designamigo · 5 months ago
    what makes chrisbrogan different ?
    humour..
    nice post!!
  • jjtoothman · 5 months ago
    For whatever reason, I'm imagining Guy Grilling the iPhone Guy to be something like the Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons. Except instead of snark, he's full of wonderment
  • Brian · 5 months ago
    Hilarious. You can't help but wonder if the griller was just pulling the Genius™'s leg.

    Thanks for sharing this story!
  • software_critics · 5 months ago
    This story is insanely funny! You are genuine, Chris. This gets me into thinkin', what do you think you could have done if you're the Apple guy?
  • Dale Cruse · 5 months ago
    Chris, I think you can get at least one more post out of this scenario. I'd love to hear you praise the iPhone Guy for engaging the Guy Grilling The iPhone Guy for an hour and patiently showing him every detail of the iPhone he asked about without getting uppity or trying to force the customer to make a purchase. And as you admitted, after the man didn't make the purchase, the iPhone Guy didn't bat an eye. That's the kind of customer service we ALL want!
  • Lori Anne Brown · 5 months ago
    <<Picking myself off the floor from laughing.>> I used to work at an AT&T Wireless dealer and I am really NOT surprised by this. It is truly amazing the questions people ask.

    I tried an iPhone for a while and its just too thin for me. Went back to my AT&T Tilt (well cingular 8195 that is now called the Tilt). I'm one of those that just use my phone as a phone though (I know, dinosaur) but I'm almost always at my desk.
  • michelemiller · 5 months ago
    This made me laugh out loud. Loved it so much I posted it to my Facebook page. And love the fact that the Apple salesperson didn't bat an eye when the potential customer didn't buy the iPhone there on the spot. My guess is, he went home to think about and tell his family/friends about it, and then returned to buy it cuz he couldn't live without it.
  • MtnMom · 5 months ago
    Had you not already specified which coast you are vacationing on, I would swear that you had come across my spouse in the Apple store. Dude! That was FUNNY! Thanks for sharing! :)
  • Tre · 5 months ago
    THANK YOU for adding this story via tweets to your blog. God it was hysterical following the tweets along and yet, albeit I'm a dweeb, my heart went out to the guy a bit. He's brave enough to be in the store and ask the questions at least. Did you think of trying to get him on video? Stop rolling your eyes....Sounds like he would have adored some more stage time. Thanks for yet again showing another window to the world of your vacay....give us an update on how at&t handles your business question. Keep having fun.
  • Seth Hosko · 5 months ago
    Maine Mall!?!?! Hilarious... You can run into all sorts of 'interesting' people there :). Awesome story!
  • Matthew Bibby · 5 months ago
    Reminds me of the friend who asked me once "Did you get that text letter I sent?"
  • Chuck Smith · 5 months ago
    I saw this tweet stream live and was Rolling.
  • Eric · 5 months ago
    Thanks for making Sunday a little lighter Chris! I felt like I was reliving every single technology conversation I've ever had with my parents. Very funny!
  • SaraKate · 5 months ago
    This made me laugh quite hard. It was a cute story. Props to the iPhone guy for not batting a lash and making the experience good for the dude grilling him, as well as entertaining (and not dramatic or a huge annoyance) to you or other customers!
  • Me · 5 months ago
    I actually look at this a different way. I APPLAUD the guy for stepping out of his comfort zone and seeking out new technologies -- even though all you "snarky" types think it is hysterical when people ask questions about things.
  • deanholmes · 5 months ago
    LMAO Love this Apple Reality Show...like listening to the old radio when TV's didnt exist.
  • kat · 5 months ago
    and then he went home to continue making a beautiful piece of art work
    or bring his grandson fishing

    iphone my ass
    you're all a bunch of "we're so cools"
    :P~~

    -kat brogan
  • UPrinting · 5 months ago
    Oh my God that's hilarious!
    Guy Grilling the iPhone Guy: “So, what is the BIGGEST question people ask you about the iPhone?”
    iPhone Guy: “yours?”
    - This is the best question he gave. And the best retort from the iPhone guy. :D
    Well, I can't blame him. Sometimes people get intimidated around new gadgets that they pretend like that they don't know how to use it. Otherwise, this guy is just completely clueless.
  • Cheril Hendry · 5 months ago
    OMG, this is absolutely hilarious. And I'm afraid I know a few people like this. Hey, free entertainment Chris! One hour of laughs at no charge!
  • Plumber North Sydney · 5 months ago
    OMG I was really Laughing Hard ,
    I think I also Meet With Some of those kind Of People,i was not selling them but they saw my blackberry thunder and wanted to know What features it had
  • Jill Korenaga · 5 months ago
    Very entertaining. Great post. And you got away with it!
  • backgarage · 5 months ago
    The ironic thing is that that whole situation was set up as an ad: the Apple store knew who you were, that you were coming in, and that you are heavy into Twitter. So they set up this situation, with actors, that you couldn't HELP but Tweet about, and you advertised for them -- dropping the word iPhone into the Twittersphere at least 28 times in one hour. Man, marketing really is getting sneaky these days.
  • FJ · 1 month ago
    Is that perfectly round teal ball in the background the guy asking these ridiculous questions? Because he's got some SERIOUS caloric value that needs to be taken care of.

    Wonder if those were his real friends or if he found the iPhone a useful tool for his stalking needs.