An Auckland man who gave interviews as the first person in the world to buy Apple's highly anticipated next generation iPhone was paid by a marketing company to wait in line and was not even able to keep the device.

Jonny Gladwell, 22, an Auckland student, waited in line for about 60 hours to be the first in the world to buy the iPhone at one minute past midnight on Friday.

The iPhone combines a music and video player, cellphone and web browser, and New Zealand stores were the first to sell it.

While Gladwell waited outside the store he gave media interviews about being first in the line.

Gladwell was hired by a company whose client was the Yellow Pages telephone directory service as part of a media stunt.

Armed with a cellphone and laptop Gladwell was sent to see if he could survive his time using only the Yellow Pages website. A blog site recorded his diary notes of his time on the street. The phone is now a competition prize on the Yellow Pages website.

Yellow Pages digital media director Blair Glubb said the stunt was planned only the day before Gladwell set up camp.

-NZPA


Maybe that young woman in Christchurch should be acknowledged as the first real purchaser to own the iPhone!