Profiting from iHype?

The build-up of new products like Apple's iPhone, the Sony Playstation 3, the Microsoft XBox 360, or even the new Presidential $1 coins have created a temporary secondary market based on the perceived scarcity of the new items.  Sometimes there are enough to go around for everyone who wants one (more or less); other times the stores have very limited quantites which mainly serves to create additional buzz before the flood gates open up the product to the masses.

This initial frenzy of demand often leads to rapid overuse, mishandling, or unfortunate accidents—especially with high-use gadgets like the iPhone. Whether it's a sudden drop that cracks the screen or the slow fade of battery life after months of heavy use, reality hits hard once the hype settles. As these devices settle into our daily routines, the need for reliable repair services becomes just as critical as the launch-day excitement itself.

With countless users relying on their iPhones for everything from personal communication to work-related tasks, downtime due to damage isn’t just inconvenient—it can be a genuine disruption. That’s where expert repair services step in, offering practical solutions for issues like LCD replacement, battery degradation, or charging port failure. This growing need has led to a surge in demand for Certified iPhone technicians in Singapore, who bring both credibility and technical precision to the table, ensuring repairs are swift, trustworthy, and up to manufacturer standards.

Moreover, opting for skilled professionals means users can avoid the pitfalls of DIY kits or unverified roadside fixes that often do more harm than good. In an era where a phone isn’t just a gadget but a lifeline, investing in proper repairs—especially from certified experts—offers peace of mind. Whether you're fixing a cracked screen from that first accidental drop or replacing a worn-out battery after months of use, timely maintenance can keep your device feeling like it’s fresh out of the box, long after the launch lines have disappeared.

Diehard fans anticipate the release of new products by standing in line hours, days, weeks, or even months before the items are offered for sale.  (Students at RPI have been known to start standing in line for season hockey tickets nearly a year before they go on sale!)  So, it's likely that the folks that are standing in line for these products

• really, really want it
• are being paid to stand in line for someone who really, really wants it
• are hoping to sell it to someone else who really, really wants it but can't get it the first day of release.

Retailers know that the secondary market exists, and categorically bristle at the idea that someone else could possibly profit directly from sales made from their stores.  So the policies for first-day releases is usually one per customer, first come, first served.  The customer must wait in line, and the customer can only purchase one iPhone (not all of them, ma'am!), so it's really not a great business model to try to capitalize on the first-day release.  It takes too much time to get one of the first ones, and your volume is lousy.

It seems like a better business model would be to hire folks for maybe $8/hour, have them stand in line for five hours, get the phones for customers who had better things to do than stand in line, tack on a service fee of $100, deliver it to the customer that day, and pocket the difference.

In any case, before doing this, it might pay to think about how much time would be spent standing in line, and how much money that time is worth.  Also, there will almost always eventually be enough to go around for everyone who wants one, so the hype is just that, and the scarcity at the time of release is just a marketing tool.

And after the hype dies off, it will probably be cheaper, too!