I'll only queue for something that matters

Perhaps it's worthy to reflect on what we would queue for, and the last time it really mattered.

WHAT would I wait in line for?

I don't remember the last time I queued in any serious fashion. It might well have been for the Thursday 5pm supermarket shop at my supermarket back when I was living in Wellington - something I certainly don't miss. And I guess you could describe the rush hour traffic in Wellington as being a queue of sorts, albeit sitting down.

In London, queuing was inevitable - everyone was quite good at it.

But would I queue for a product? The launch of the iPhone 6 device (and 6 plus, and Apple Watch) will certainly provoke those media stories of people queuing a block outside Apple shops, to later emerge with a white bag and a white box of exquisite packaging, containing the thing they waited several hours for.

My brother in New York did in fact queue for the iPad, and I admit it was such a profound device, I could have been tempted. Factors against it were not having a spare $1000 and a lot of publicity about the Apple pads and phones not being compatible with New Zealand's systems at the time.

People talk about reaching a "threshold" with technology, that there is a ceiling an individual will reach with tech which is serviceable and comfortable - like never moving beyond a flip-top phone. I like to think that anyone is adaptable and open to fun things, but even I have reached certain limits - I've never seen a 3D film, for example.

Perhaps it's worthy to reflect on what we would queue for, and the last time it really mattered. If you can recall queuing for the movies with your girlfriend, or standing in line to get into a rock concert, or the Tower of London, or even for that hot dog at half time at Westpac Stadium, then you had a worthwhile experience where queuing was part of the package.

The iPhone 6 is not a once-in-a-lifetime event. It's not U2 in Christchurch. It will still be selling months after the launch. I'll save my queuing for the things that really matter.