iPhone 3G: The Hoopla, The Hype, The Wait?

Apple's highly anticipated 3G iPhone doesn't go on sale until 8 a.m. Friday, but one crafty activist group, Waiting For Apples, has been cued up in front of Apple's flagship store in NYC since July 4th.

Waiting For Apples, a grassroots group promoting organic farming, hopes to take advantage of the huge buzz surrounding the phone's launch. At the same time, four or five members are trying to drum up support for their cause by attempting to set a Guinness World Record for "the longest time waiting in line to stimulate the economy of NYC."

Passersby -- mainly tourists -- stopped and inquired about Waiting For Apple's display of organic produce, a solar-powered panel and compost heap.

Another passerby -- definitely not a tourist -- didn't care much about the group's mission, but did want to know if someone in the group could get him a 3G if he paid them $200. He was advised to make a donation to the group but would not receive an iPhone from them.

For unexplained reasons, the Waiting For Apples folks were also tracking the company's stock.

(For the record, shares were up 2.5 percent in after-hours trading on Tuesday).

Meanwhile, in the blissfully air-conditioned store, it was business as usual. Employees said they haven't been told how many 3Gs the store will initially stock and how quickly they will get new shipments once inventory is depleted.

And until Friday, life, for now, carries on as usual outside the store.