Have you seen the line snaking around Streeterville beside the Apple store? It’s been there for weeks—ever since the new 3G iPhone came out. In fact, I would not be surprised if the Apple store had temporarily replaced the Sears Tower or Navy Pier as city’s largest tourist attraction.

Of course, I decided to brave the line this morning, and, of course, me being me and having some sort of unlucky scarlet letter tattooed on my forehead, I ran into a "complication." Has anybody else encountered this? If so, will you please write in and tell me about it so I can feel better? Apparently, there is a "directive"—yes, this is a direct quote from AT&T—that you don’t get the $199 price unless you are eligible for an upgrade. Maybe it’s just me, but I never heard mention of this in all the ads for the new phone.

Unfortunately, no one at the Apple store mentions it until you get to the front of the line, which means that if you are a current AT&T customer (and not making a switch from another company, such as Verizon) there is a chance of getting screwed. You can still buy the phone, but it will cost you $399.

Just a warning. As an ironic aside, guess when I’m eligible for an upgrade? August 10. That’s in, like, 12 days.

But, hey, maybe my crappy morning is your lucky day! My phone is on hold until noon, and I’m being stubborn and refusing to pay $200 more dollars for it. AT&T absolutely refuses to move the deadline, so the first person who goes to the Apple store and says they are me can skip the line and buy the phone! If you get it, write in and let me know!