Grab a bag of popcorn and get yourself a seat, fellas. If you came to buy Microsoft Surface on the day of its big release, you are in for a big line! Pretty unusual for Microsoft, huh? I mean a big line formation and that too for this company’s products? When was the last time I saw this much amount of people under one roof?

Oh, I remember now. Back in the days when Windows 98 was released for the first time, there were tons of people waiting outside. It was a midnight release; everyone rushed in early and got away with a nice Win98 CDRom. Times change fast, don’t they?

And So the Hunt Begins in South Coast Plaza – Southern California:

The crappy security guys at Southern California (Costa Mesa) were kind enough to inform that the store would open at 10 AM. They allowed the line formation at 6 AM, which I thought would be an overkill. Personally, I was degrading the fact that people don’t anticipate Microsoft releases as much as they do in case of Apple.

To be honest, it was kind of a wrong assessment on my part – Microsoft did score 100+ people that day. However one of the main reasons as to why Microsoft attracted so many people was probably because they were in for two main things:

• One Year Microsoft Xbox Music Pass

• Chance to Win an Xbox 360

Both of the above goodies were obviously going to the first 100 people in line. How do I know this? Well, a couple of days ago, Microsoft was seen pitching the following Ad on Google and Bing – Indeed an interesting find for those who heeded to the call in time.

Up Against the Wall – Fire Hazard Warning?

Putting the eagerness of winning an Xbox 360 ‘n Microsoft Xbox Music Pass behind me, I arrived at 7:50 AM. I wasn’t anxious on getting the console or the pass because I have already ordered my Xbox 360; it should be arriving by now.

Besides, I also own a PS3 – so that kinda sums up the frizzled excitement for me. Anyhow, 7:50 AM and still lucky to be number 10 in line wasn’t a bad deal after all. Who knows, I might be getting away with another SexBox 360…

So, I pulled out my handy Texsport Bazaar Armchair (courtesy of Amazon), when I heard the security guy yelling on top of his lungs. “Sir no chairs allowed!” Looks like they were concerned about global terrorism. I don’t know how a chair would have aided to terrorism but hey, you can’t argue with stupid security guys, can you?

Anyhow, the guys in line really got prissy when after an hour of standing, some of them tried to stretch their legs a little. “Sir, please stand against the wall and try not to move!” Wow, seriously, who pissed in this guy’s cereal this morning? The second warning was part of avoiding some kind of fire hazard that was expected to occur sometime soon.

The 10 people, part of the 7:50 AM Microsoft Surface line were now a threat to an entire mall. The rest of the shopping plaza was gawking at us, which made us look weirder, which eventually got us feeling uncomfortable.

By 9:30 AM, the official Microsoft guys started pouring in. They were kind enough to open the franchise doors. By the time, it was 10 AM; the South Coast Plaza was proudly overlooking 75 people in the line. Most of them greedy fellas had come for an Xbox or a Microsoft Music pass.

 John Hung | One of the Earliest Customers at Microsoft Surface Store

John Hung, the guy standing next to me said that he was concerned about the crowd being too small. “I thought that there would be a bigger crowd because Microsoft showed a picture of people at Times Square. They all looked so happy and perfect, tee hee.” Call it a slight misrepresentation or whatever, but the crowd in this plaza was nowhere like the one that Microsoft had been raving about.

The 45 year old Garden Grove resident was still too damn eager to get a Surface. Why did he want it so badly? Mixed reasons, I suppose…

• It’s Not for Me; It’s for ma Gurrllll:

Most of the guys were there to purchase the Microsoft Surface device for their relatives or girlfriends back home. This guy, Michael To was obviously one of those people who didn’t appreciate Apple Macs. He was thinking of wooing his girl with more Microsoft gadgets as she seemed to be in love with Apple inventions.

“Slowly, I am converting her away from Apple”, said Michael, who has recently succeeded in convincing his girl to work more on Microsoft Office, rather than depending on Mac based office apps. This guy has been one of the “first day event” runners so far. The time when Apple iPhone 3GS, 4, and 4S were released, he was there on the first day.

• Testing the Waters?

Then again, there are people like Robert Bojorquez, who are interested in trying out something new for a change. He especially took the day off from work to buy Microsoft Surface. To him, the idea of buying a Windows 8 tablet seems intriguing.

“The convenience of using Surface as a tablet and as a simple computer at the same time is very attractive. I have been interested in owning Windows OS devices for a long time now”, said Robert.

Microsoft Store and First Encounter with my Surface | A Revelation Indeed:

The store was more of a revelation to me. I had no idea that there was a Microsoft store in South Coast Plaza as I used to do most of my shopping at Orange County. The Microsoft employee, who greeted me, was warm and helpful enough to guide me through different versions of the latest Microsoft Windows 8 tablet. His attitude resembled the professional guys at Apple stores; they all guide their customers through Apple products in the same manner.

Anyhow, I went for a basic Surface model – something not too pricey and convenient enough for my daily needs. The colorful touch covers were tacky, instead of being visually appealing. I went for the usual Black cover in the end.

We both unboxed my Surface, signed in and went through the basics. Microsoft’s new OS is kind of confusing to first timers. Once you get the hang of it, you will not feel any different. By 10:30 AM, I was done with purchasing the tablet/ PC. By the time I was walking it, there were more than 100 people in line.

So there it is; my experience with purchasing Surface on Friday, October 26 – 2012. The rush in Times Square and rest of the small hotspots around the U.S. is pretty much similar to what I went through. My best wishes are with Microsoft. May they keep fightin’ the good fight against Apple or whatever.

By the way, if you are an Apple Nazi, you are free to express your opinions against or in favor of this article. No one will call you a biased son of a gun. Cheers.

PS: I didn’t get the free Xbox. Sucks to be me… I did get a one year music pass though.