But not this year.
Sure, people still lined up. But fewer than last year, and mostly because Apple quietly (but publicly) changed its policies. There were no iPhone 7 Plus devices available for walk-in customers, and no Jet Black iPhone 7s of any kind available in-store either. Breaking a tradition stretching back years, Apple reserved zero stock for the people who are, by definition, its most loyal customers. Instead of fanning the flames of its own fan club, Apple instead chose to do something sensible and grown-up, namely allow for online pre-orders to be picked up in store. That's how I got my hands on an iPhone 7 this morning -- no waiting in line, just wander up to an Apple employee, scan a barcode, and walk away with the new phone. It was so easy that I felt genuinely guilty walking past the line of people who had slept out overnight.
So sure, Apple isn't making a concerted effort to kill off the lines. No bouncers or explicit warnings, that's for sure. But by failing to reserve even a token amount of stock for walk-ins, and making a far more convenient collect-in-store system instead, Apple is tilting the balance in favor of staying at home on launch day. The question is, why?
Writer - Liam McClelland | @Liamicy