iPhone Lines Are No Longer Just Apple Enthusiasts

By now, you have likely seen the video of the poor man in Perth, Western Australia, who was among the first in the world to get his hands on an iPhone 6 and dropped it on live television for the world to see.

iPhone lines such as the one he undoubtedly stood in for hours — or possibly days — have become the norm with the company’s new phone and other product launches, but several websites have noted that the iPhone lines are a changing reality.

Take, for example, this description from contributor Ellis Hamburger at The Verge, who explained that a group known as the “Chinese Mafia” are actually being used to hold people’s places in iPhone lines or purchase the phones for Apple junkies who did not want to wait in the lines.

“There’s no yelling and no fanfare — just a group of people quietly trudging into the store as Apple employees clap in the background. Then, these same people proceed to walk across the street and accept a cash trade for the device they just waited 12 hours for.”

CNET noted that other, more noticeable changes are happening in iPhone lines across the country.

According to the technology news organization, some people are purchasing the phones just to sell to others, as mentioned in the Verge article. But CNET noted that others are being paid to be the first in line, and then make media appearances with the television crews that usually always show up to iconic Apple Store locations, including the glass-cubed Apple Store at the GM building in New York.

CNET also noted that several people in the line at the flagship Apple Store were purchasing the phones to then sell at double the price in China, again sounding like the work of the so-called “Chinese Mafia,” right?

[Image via Flickr Creative Commons]