iBook Stampede

Posted on August 16th, 2005

There were several minor injuries and one person was taken to a hospital with a leg injury, fire Battalion Chief Steve Wood said during a 1 p.m. news conference. In all, 17 people were treated, the majority for heat- or diabetic-related problems, he said. Thousands of Henrico County residents and/or taxpayers stood in a half-mile-long line as dawn broke while others waited in cars parked nearby or milled about not far from the entrance to RIR. One official estimate put the crowd at 5,500. Other observers estimated more than twice that. Many had come prepared with books, snacks, umbrellas and chairs. The first car arrived at 1:30 a.m. By 6:30 vehicles were backed up on Laburnum Avenue about a half mile to Carolina Avenue.

A few years ago Apple struck a rather large deal with the Henrico County school district in Virginia to provide iBooks to all Middle-school students. The district decided to sell off 1,500 of these aging iBooks at a blowout price of just $50 per unit. The people you see in the photo were waiting in line to buy them as soon at the gates opened. The line was more than a half mile long!

By the way…is that Dale Coffing in the foreground?