July 20th 2012, is a momentous day in China, as Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is scheduled to launch its new iPad in the country. China is the world’s most populated country with over 1.4 billion people, and Apple expects massive crowds of the anxious residents.
Nonetheless, a more controllable method will be used, as people will be expected to line up en-route to making their various purchases, and this is why Apple is using a reservation lottery service to allow buyers to essentially, reserve their place, notes Tech Crunch.
Buyers are required to visit a certain Apple oriented webpage, from which they will fill in certain details pertaining to the type and version of iPad they seek to acquire, in accordance with their preferred specifications. Additionally, and most importantly, they must provide their government, issued I.D, after which, the lottery like system will send notifications to the lucky few.
According to Tech Crunch, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has picked this kind of system for several reasons, other than crowd control, as its might seem. The company believes that this method will also curb scammers and scalpers from exploiting prospective buyers. Scalpers would generally try tooth and nail to get in the lines earlier, acquire iDevices and resell them to unsuspecting buyers, far behind in the ques.
This exercise is likely to attract sale of fake iPads, as well as scrambling, unscrupulous dealers in an urgent rush to acquire numerous units, to be sold at high prices.
Apple used the same system during its launch of iPhones in Hong Kong, and it worked satisfactorily. The system may not be 100% effective in stopping scammers, but the results are much better as compared to conventional methods, especially in a country like china, where millions of purchases are expected.
Apple has targeted China as a vital strategic income source, with its high population and technological advancements. In some of our recent posts, we have covered Apple’s activities and events in china, with regard to iPhones, iPads, and Macs. During the last Financial year, Apple generated a lot of income from the region, with over 35 million in iPads sales as featured we featured it earlier.
Nevertheless, the company snubbed china in its Asian Launch of the iTunes App Store, despite making the software available in 12 Asian countries late last month. The main issues pointed out were security and protocol, whereby government support in curbing piracy was seen as a major issue.
