iPhone Madness Has AT&T on High Alert

Day-after-Thanksgiving shopping madness may look like a tea party compared to the day the iPhone goes on sale, and AT&T says it's ready for a record-breaking launch next Friday. The company is hiring 2,000 extra employees to deal with anticipated demand for the sexy new gadget, the Journal reports, and beefing up security at its stores.

Yesterday's announcement that the gadget will feature YouTube videos only escalated the anticipation, but there's a downside: All the attention will make things that much worse if the device doesn't deliver. For now, though, the iPhone is so hot that AT&T is turning away A-list celebs asking to jump the line. They can camp on the sidewalk like everyone else. (More Apple stories.)