Don’t want to wait in line for the iPhone 5? TaskRabbit will do it for you

If you don’t plan on pre-ordering your iPhone this weekend, but still want to grab the handset as soon as it launches, your only other option is to stand in line at an Apple, or other retail, store.

Queues for new Apple products are banal, sometimes starting a week or more ahead of launches, with hundreds of people. But if waiting in line isn’t for you, these folks are up to the task…

CNET points to a new service from TaskRabbit, an online marketplace that allows users to outsource tasks and small jobs to others in their area, that lets people purchase wait time in line.

For $55, people in the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as New York, can purchase four  hours of wait time in line at an Apple retail store the morning of the iPhone 5 release on September 21st.

“You’ve waited long enough for the iPhone 5, why should you have to wait in line too? A TaskRabbit will wait in line for you for up to four hours the morning of the release, Friday, September 21st. Then you’ll swap places and buy your shiny new iPhone — it couldn’t be easier.”

How does it work? Well, for starters, you’ll need to sign up for a free TaskRabbit membership. Then you can opt to ‘Buy’ the task, which in this case is waiting in line for the iPhone 5.

Within 48 hours, your assigned TaskRabbit will contact you to work out timing and model details. And once the task is complete, you’ll pay for it through TaskRabbit’s secure website.

This sounds like a cool idea, though $55 for 4 hours seems kind of expensive. And what happens if 4 hours isn’t enough? Can you hire the same person, or another TaskRabbit afterwards?

Anyway, what’s your take on the service? Good idea, bad idea?