Apple employs reservation system in China ahead of iPad launch
China hasn't had the best of luck with new iDevice launches. The devices are so popular in that part of the world, and the black market over there is so hungry for goods, that Apple often has issues with legitimate customers trying to get devices. Sometimes fights or vandalism break out when the items go on sale. But Apple has a new weapon against that kind of shenanigans with the upcoming iPad 2 new iPad launch: The company is rolling out a reservation system over in China, designed to make the iPad buying process a lot easier and calmer.
Basically, customers will have to make a reservation online to even buy an iPad, which should hopefully do away with the long lines and long waits that led to frustration during previous launches. I'm sure there will still be some annoyed customers who are turned away because they don't have a reservation, but maybe the annoyance will be a little more spread out and not quite as inflammatory.
Of course, the real issue here is supply. Apple needs to make sure it has enough devices to meet demand over in China, and so far, it hasn't been able to do that. Meeting that demand will solve both the problem of raucous sales as well as increase profits overall.
