Their iPhone app lets you walk into a store, scan the barcode, at using your Apple I'd and leave. You don't need to find a member of staff any more.

That assumes that you already have an iDevice and the app.

I see the type guessing algorithm isn't getting anybetter though.

well the app is free at least...

So what happens when they release the iPhone 5 and there's a queue leading out of their stores? Won't they need the extra sales staff (at least for a short while) then?

Apple likes having queues outside it's stores. That's fantastic free PR - nothing makes people want something like finding out lots of other people want it but can't get one.

Jon

So they only want guilable customers who'll queue......... Oh wait, of course they do. They'll pay anything for something shiny with an apple on it.

You're mad. Every business wants customers who will hand over money for it's goods. If not, what are they there for?

Jon

My point being it's better to treat your customers well at product launch, rather than making them queue for your own PR purposes.

Like those video game makers...

Uhm, they don't make anybody do anything. I believe there's even free t shirts. If the public decide that spending 24hrs in a deckchair outside your shop waiting for a shiny new thing is the way to go, then who are you to stop them?

I totally get queueing for tickets to something, buying a house, a toy for your child, whatever. But an electronic device that is probably little different to it's predecessor, and maybe one you own? For a bit of perspective on that, I wouldn't queue for a video game, for instance.

'Perspective' in this case is merely your personal judgement of value. You're perfectly happy to queue for the things that you see value in, but not for things you don't. Yet the people queueing for those things value them as much as you value the things you have mentioned, or they wouldn't be queuing. There are things I would queue for but a ticket to an event or a new phone are neither of those. You either accept that people queueing for things they value is valid or it isn't, but saying 'these things are worth queueing for but those aren't' applies to nobody but you.

I don't recall queueing for any video game, console or phone. MW2 I went the following morning, BLOPs I had preordered and delivered, MW3 - again I went in the morning. PS3 was impulse buy months after it was released. iPhone 3GS and 4S were bought a few months after launch.

Only trying to give it a bit of context, wasn't having a dig at anyone

My curiosity (and it's little else) still stands on something that is little different to it's predecessor though, and I'm talking more about the people who sleep out in the freezing cold etc