Woz waits 12 hours for first iPhone 4S

As Apple co-founder, Steve Wozniak enjoys certain perks, like advance notice and shipment of every iPhone ever made. But the equally iconic other Steve says the experience of waiting in line with Apple fans — enduring hours of autographs and picture-taking — was something he simply couldn’t miss.

“I have a bunch of friends who say this is the most important thing in history, but I’ll just order it and have it come to my home. They give up on doing this little sacrifice, wait for the event. Me – no – I think that is part of it – makes it more valuable. The sacrifice makes it more valuable to me.”

The Merc says Woz was cheered as the first customer into the Los Gatos Apple store this morning.

The iPhone 4S, with its new Siri voice-recognition feature, is available online or in a long line for $199, starting today.