Time machine needed to get iPhone?

Eric Mueller took this photo of an AT&T store on lower Broadway in downtown Manhattan (near Park Place / City Hall) today. Seems the iPhone is "temporally out stock." Perhaps it'll be available last year.

[#1 posted by Nelson.C , July 15, 2008 3:06 PM]

Oh, man, must be those Time Lords.

[#2 posted by Antinous , July 15, 2008 3:15 PM]

That sign could be the new Untitled 1.

[#3 posted by ROSSINDETROIT , July 15, 2008 3:23 PM]

Spellcheck: It's no guarantee that you'll always make sense.

[#4 posted by Anonymous , July 15, 2008 3:32 PM]

It doesn't even say "out of stock". It's "out stock".

[#5 posted by IWood , July 15, 2008 3:34 PM]

Marty!

[#6 posted by nck wntrhltr , July 15, 2008 3:39 PM]

Can the iPhone take my temp orally?

[#7 posted by Xopher , July 15, 2008 3:42 PM]

I took a picture of a sign like that in my neighborhood. Temporal closure is a serious problem. Temporal closure is a serious problem. Temporal closure is a...

[#8 posted by freenoel25 , July 15, 2008 3:54 PM]

"out stock" Do people look at what they write anymore?

[#9 posted by arkizzle , July 15, 2008 4:01 PM]

Can the iPhone take my temp orally?

I'm pretty sure temps have the same sexual-misconduct-rights as permanent staff. So, although your iPhone probably could manage it, you would most certainly get sued. (hoho) :D

[#10 posted by Jardine , July 15, 2008 4:03 PM]

Oh, man, must be those Time Lords.

Someone should add another sign underneath this one that says "By order of the Time Lords". In fact, that sign would be a great addition to a lot of other signs. Gone Fishing...by order of the Time Lords. Closed...by order of the Time Lords. Going out of Business...by order of the Time Lords.

[#11 posted by Stefan Jones , July 15, 2008 4:05 PM]

Darn . . . I'll just have to freeze myself in a snowbank until fresh stock arrives.

[#12 posted by Hentosz , July 15, 2008 4:11 PM]

Undoubtedly using iWork Pages on a Mac running Leopard and they still use fucking Times New Roman and Helvetica.

[#13 posted by Hentosz , July 15, 2008 4:14 PM]

(Oops, missed the part about it being an AT&T store. Previous snark hereby rescinded.)

[#14 posted by Gainclone , July 15, 2008 4:16 PM]

Just wait until post WWIII when the iPhone jumps back from 2373 to prevent Dr. Zephram Cochrane from completing his warp flight and initiating first contact.

[#15 posted by FourFiveFire , July 15, 2008 4:22 PM]

@ #14: Oh, lord, then it'll lure Data into its private chambers and have awkward robot touch screen sex with him.

[#16 posted by Kaz , July 15, 2008 4:53 PM]

Oh, man - I see the humor, but I wish I were geeky enough to come up with a witty reply myself...

[#17 posted by membrain , July 15, 2008 5:03 PM]

w00t Mark great!! i'm having so much fun over this even though so simple :) thanks

[#18 posted by Moon , July 15, 2008 5:11 PM]

When I saw it, I thought it was from Engrish.com

[#19 posted by sicklecell , July 15, 2008 5:24 PM]

Once I made a sign that said " Ms. Rothmans Rectal at 4PM" I meant Recital. Or did I?

[#20 posted by dimmer , July 15, 2008 6:09 PM]

Sorry, but this just looks like a fake -- and not even a good one at that. I only wish AT&T were competent enough to put up such a sign.

[#21 posted by monopole , July 15, 2008 6:43 PM]

Steve Jobs has always been at the mercy of evil time lords and time bandits who steal his inventions and cary them to the past to wit:

PARC was a division of Xerox which used stolen time travel technology to steal Jobs' inventions before he even thought of them. A group photo of these villains is shown here:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t199/Far_side_photo/TimeBandit14.jpg

They were aided by the evil Time Lord Douglas Engelbart (seen in the background) who demonstrated windows, mouse and menu operation in 1968 when Steve Jobs was only 8 years old and unable to defend himself. It is believed that he was aided by Philo T. Farnsworth who stole Jobs invention of Video.

A transcript of his speech is below:
Engelbart : When I have the map, I will be free, and the world will be different, because I have understanding.
PARC flunky: Uh, understanding of what, Master?
Engelbart : Digital watches. And soon I shall have understanding of video cassette recorders and car telephones. And when I have understanding of them, I shall have understanding of computers. And when I have understanding of computers, I shall be the Supreme Being! God isn't interested in technology. He knows nothing of the potential of the microchip or the silicon revolution. Look how he spends his time: forty-three species of parrots! Nipples for men! Slugs! He created slugs! They can't hear, they can't speak, they can't operate machinery. If I were creating the world, I wouldn't mess about with butterflies and daffodils. I would've started with lasers, eight o'clock, day one.

PARC then secretly formed Diamond Multimedia and the Fraunhofer Institute to steal Jobs invention of the MP3 player.

Jobs will continue to be preyed upon by these monsters until he perfects the iTARDIS:
http://craphound.com/images/drwh...drwhousbhub.jpg
It does work, but Jobs won't use it till it runs silently and is made of translucent blue plastic.

[#22 posted by shokk , July 15, 2008 7:07 PM]

AT&T stores have been chronically out of stock of iPhones since Friday. I was in line at 2:30pm on Friday with people that had disappointingly stood in line at the AT&T store for 3 hours only to find out later that there were not enough. I know people that have been going to those stores all week, where only a dozen or so units will arrive and are quickly snatched up.

[#23 posted by Brandon Heyer , July 15, 2008 7:39 PM]

And I was trying to figure out what "Out Stock" has to do with time...man I failed this test.

[#24 posted by Anonymous , July 15, 2008 7:49 PM]

I thought it meant the phone is out of stock for all time. It never WAS in stock.

[#25 posted by pitchyourbiz , July 15, 2008 9:04 PM]

This was such a pain when the iPhone went on sale. Not only were they low on items they also had problems with their servers. I have been a mac user for 2 years now and never had such problems.

[#26 posted by kkills , July 16, 2008 1:05 AM]

Next year, the iTardis

[#27 posted by GonzoMultiverse , July 16, 2008 2:37 AM]

I'll bet it was Apple's idea. That Steve Jobs is one funny guy!!!

[#28 posted by Reverend T , July 16, 2008 5:32 AM]

Monopole @ #22:

Best. Apple-related comment. Ever.

[#29 posted by ttcfcl , July 16, 2008 7:45 AM]

iPhone Out Stock?
ORALLY?

[#30 posted by zikman , July 16, 2008 10:42 AM]

@12: what's wrong with Helvetica?

[#31 posted by Avery , July 16, 2008 11:14 AM]

@21: it's legit, sadly - i walked by this the other day.

[#32 posted by ill lich , July 16, 2008 11:17 AM]

I think that essentially means "out of stock forever", as in "it is out of stock in the entire universe of space-time" or something-- you'd have to go to a place with no time to get one.

[#33 posted by Hans Davies , July 16, 2008 11:44 AM]

I work at Universal Orlando, and there is a sign for a pay phone that says "Temporally Out of Order." I laugh every day that I pass it.

[#34 posted by Field Force Guru , July 28, 2008 4:14 AM]

It's turning into a common think. Apple may be shipping iPhones as fast as it can, but for now it isn't fast enough to meet the demand. Only Steve Jobs could get people to wait in line for something that, well, you didn't need to wait in line for.