UPDATE: Crisis averted, it seems. Comments on and about the original CNet article, including from Steve Wozniak and Leo Laportly, indicate that Woz waited from 4AM until the doors opened at 10AM.
All the people in line Friday morning before Woz arrived had agreed that it would be fine if he went into the store first. In fact, they insisted, said one Gizmodo tipster. This appears to be a case of a few jilted iPhone line sitters trying to soil Woz's good name! Final ruling: Woz had a space saved in line at the 3G launch (posse included). Original post in its entirety:\
More bad news from the iPhone 3G iPocalypse: Steve Wozniak, creator of the Apple II and a hero of many geeks the world over, may have cut in line at the Westfield Valley Fair Mall Apple Store. I know, breathe deep, we'll get through this. The alleged grade school maneuver seemed out of sorts for a man who just recently chided the 3G JesusPhone for not having "break-the-bank items." He even went so far as to say a lot of his friends (presumably not Kathy Griffin) weren't going to upgrade. Nevertheless, if the line-cutting story is true, and there's photographic evidence that suggests it is, then apparently Woz-and a posse-couldn't really be bothered with line sitting at all.
The Broussards, the couple that did waited in line with everyone else, took some pics of the Woz maneuver and logged their complaint with CNet:
...According to Doug and Patrice Broussard, Woz actually never waited in line at all. The couple, who were there, said the Apple co-founder lounged on some of the mall's nearby sofas for about four hours and then ambled up to the front of the queue when the store opened at 8AM and simply cut in line. No discussion.
And he wasn't alone. He had his posse in tow, say the Broussards, who photographed the Woz playing big shot. Didn't anybody say anything? No. Doug Broussard said it all happened too quickly and, well, who's going to send the creator of the Apple II to the end of the line?
Hear that? Woz: Apple icon, line cutter, sprinter. There's officially nothing left on Earth he can't do. [CNET]