Apple’s push to stop launch day lines

We see it every year. Every time a new Apple device is released a swath of people come out, sometimes in full camping gear and kits, and line up in front of their nearest Apple store like sirens leading ships into cliff faces.

For days people will camp out just for a chance to pick up the latest gadget and flaunt it to others, but in recent times the lines have taken a slightly more sinister existence.

With the advent of “line holders” (people who are paid by the hour to hold a position for people in lines originally slated for concerts, ornery people, and the general malaise that carries over after standing in line with people who haven’t bathed in a few days) the lines have slowly transformed from a harmless gathering of fans, to a rabid gathering of zombie like creatures with a desire for new tech.

A leaked memo, provided to Business Insider, has recently indicated Apple’s intention to move to either its online store or their app store for the purchase and delivery of newer devices, like Macbooks and iWatches. The move is slated to help legitimate customers purchase their products in a timelier manner and clean up the perception of the Apple Store around the time of a new device launch.

In store pickup, as Apple refers to it, has also caused issues internationally for Apple as well. The Chinese launch for the new iPhone back in 2012 prompted the temporary shuttering of the Beijing Apple Store due to a near riot that escalated outside of the building which involved the throwing of eggs and the injuring to several employees.

The black market for iPhones is also of concern to Apple, as often times crews of illegitimate purchasers purposely group up in order to buy out the market and resell at an inflated price for the hot ticket items.

It seems like an overall win-win for the company who is currently looking at bringing the iWatch, another apple device, to the wrists of millions sometime in the near future.