Video shows how black market took over the iPhone 6 lines

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Photo: Casey Neistat
Photo: Casey Neistat

In many places around the world, around the first 50 people in line waiting for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus last week appeared to be resellers — looking to make a quick (and relatively easy) buck selling Apple’s next generation iPhone on the gray/black market.

While we definitely noticed the phenomenon, YouTube filmmaker Casey Neistat took his camera out on the streets of New York to interview and film the crowds gathered waiting for the new handsets at various Apple Stores around the city.

“Gone are the spirit and excitement from years past,” Neistat observes. “These lines are now about something else entirely.”

That “something else” is, of course, money, since many of the people shown waiting days for the new iPhone seem to be paid to sit in line by a middle man, who then likely sends the new handset to China or other countries where it is not yet available.

This year, the situation has been seemingly exacerbated by the fact that Chinese authorities have delayed the iPhone 6, saying that Apple needs a special license to sell it, which could result in the handset’s official launch being pushed back to 2015. Neil Shah, an analyst with Counterpoint Research in Mumbai, has estimated that a massive 5 million iPhones could be smuggled into China before the official release.

Other hot Apple markets who have been denied immediate iPhone 6 and 6 Plus devices include Russia, India and Italy.

Casey Neistat’s short documentary can be seen below:

Via: iClarified

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