由于iPhone需求火爆，苹果香港近日推出了“摇号”预订系统，欲购买iPhone的消费者需先在其官网上填写注册信息，被苹果“选中”后方可购买。消费者每天上午9点到中午12点可提交申请，选择自己欲购买的iPhone机型。如果被苹果“抽中”，客户将会在晚上9点前收到电子邮件，邮件中将附带第二天可以进店购买的时间。在购买iPhone时，消费者必须出示与预订信息相符的个人身份证明、地址证明等文件。“摇号”举措是为了打击黄牛的倒卖行为，但由于需求旺盛，预计被“抽中”可能比中六合彩更难。
Think lining up overnight for an iPhone launch is bad? Try snagging a new iPhone 4S in Hong Kong, where Apple recently implemented a lottery system in an effort to combat scalping. If you're in Hong Kong and want the newest iPhone iteration, forget waking up early to be the first person outside an Apple Store — the company doesn't sell any to walk-in customers. You have to first join a lottery on the company's website and then win before you can even be eligible to buy a unit.
The recent iPhone 4S launch in mainland China was riddled with scalpers, and one particular incident in Beijing even turned into a brawl fest. This new system is super strict, with the lottery remaining open to entries for only three hours each day. Winners get an email before 9 PM, and they can claim their iPhone 4S units the next day provided they have a government-issued photo ID with the same name and serial number they submitted to the lottery.
No word yet on whether Apple will implement this lottery system elsewhere, though it may subsequently be used in places where scalping is rampant.