Hmm, that's so strange, you'd think it'd be in their best interest to take pre-orders, keep those who know what they want out of the stores and have them delivered, so those people in the stores can dedicate their time to providing Apple Customer Service to those new to the brand, or who need the extra time. I try to avoid the store at all costs, but with iPhone 6\6+ launch, they forced me to because the only way I was able to get one was store pickup... I'm fairly sure every previous Mac launch they've taken orders a couple days before though.