You can't walk out of the Apple Store with an Apple Watch

You're all geared up, you walk into the Apple Store to buy your Apple Watch, and are told you'll have to wait for delivery. There's no stock shortage, it's just how the company plans to sell the device in the UK, sources tellBusiness Insider.

Instead of picking one up and taking it to the till, staff will help you order one online using 'kiosk', the in-store version of the online Apple Store. Pick your model, order it in-store, and it'll be sent to your home, so you'll have to wait for it.

In the US, the sources say, customers will be able to pick theirs up from the Apple Store. Though Apple staffwill discourage it.

This is part of a new mindset in how Apple sells products, according to a leaked memo from Angela Ahrendts, the Cupertino company's senior vice president of retail and online sales. And it could spell an end to people queuing up for days before launch.

"The days of waiting in line and crossing fingers for a product are over for our customers," the memo reads. "The Apple Store app and our online store make it much easier to purchase Apple Watch and the new MacBook. Customers will know exactly where and when their product arrives.

"This is a significant change in mindset, and we need your help to make it happen. Tell your customers we have more availability online, and show them how easy it is to order. You'll make their day."

The memo mentions the MacBook too, so it's likely Apple wants to take this approach for all products, not just the Apple Watch. Which would be a big change in how people shop, and lose some of the atmosphere from launch day. Though it would also do away with the more unsightly aspects of the queues, like fights breaking out, and people being paid to stand in line for someone else.

It's not likely to deter the hardcore though. Expect big queues whatever Apple says.