Dave Lee caused a bit of a stir this week, he sat in line – outside the Apple Store, 10 or 11 days out from today’s big launch. Yet he never got an iPhone X.

As a “youtuber” Dave was keen to make some videos, perhaps go viral. Instead, he disappeared into the distance.

At 4.45am this morning, just 3 hours and 15 minutes out from being the first in the world to buy an iPhone from an Apple Store, Dave took a toilet break. Not uncommon in a queue like this, but everyone has your back – there was a “community” there of those who had sat and slept and waited for the iPhone X so no-one would just move up in the queue without good reason.

Yet at 8am, Dave Lee was not the first to buy an iPhone X – in fact, he wasn’t even there.

I sat in Dave’s chair while he was taking a toilet break. I thought it would be funny to do a live TV cross on The Today Show sitting “First in line” at the Apple Store.

However, the mood changed shortly after. Where was Dave? Was he coming back? 16 year old Lee who was 25th in line met up with Dave at the nearby Maccas. Turns out, Dave was leaving.

Lee even went to the trouble of writing “Dave Lee” on his forehead, and “Dave” on one cheek and “Lee” on the other in some desperate attempt to take Dave’s place at the front of the line.

The rest of the line wasn’t having it though, Lee had to take his spot down at number 25, so thankfully he rubbed Dave Lee’s name out, and that’s the last we heard of “Dave Lee”.

Talking to those in the line about what had happened, some indicated that Dave never planned to buy an iPhone X – that he had no money to buy an iPhone X.

In fact, Dave planned to make a run for it in a bit of a publicity stunt just as the final ten second countdown was on. In the end, he did a runner and no-one really noticed he was gone.

The queue moved up, and Bishoy Behman became the first to buy an iPhone from an Apple Store.

He was though not the first to buy, or own the iPhone X – deliveries in rural NSW started early with some deliveries reported up to an hour before the 8am scheduled time.

The passion for Apple Products is unmatched, but the reality in 2017 is that it’s faster and more reliable to order products at the Apple Online Store, either for delivery or pickup.

And that shows in those early members of the queue. They are not really in it for the device. They are in it for the exposure, their 15 minutes of fame. Perhaps Dave felt he’d had his?

Those savvy enough to get in early have also made a short term business in buying phones for other people and charging a premium for the “service”. Many thousands of dollars changed hands out the front of the Apple Store as those desperate enough walked to the front to see who would be willing to buy an iPhone X on their behalf.

As for Dave Lee – he’ll probably appear again soon on his crazy YouTube channel, I doubt he’ll be at the next Apple Launch.