Beijing Apple store egged after iPhone delay

Advertisement
By Associated Press | Updated: 6 June 2012 11:53 IST
Highlights
  • An angry crowd shouted and threw eggs at Apple's Beijing flagship store after it failed to open on schedule Friday to sell the popular new iPhone 4S model.
An angry crowd shouted and threw eggs at Apple's Beijing flagship store after it failed to open on schedule Friday to sell the popular new iPhone 4S model.

Hundreds of people waited overnight in freezing weather for the sale at the Apple store in the Chinese capital's Sanlitun district. Some said they were paid to wait by merchants who planned to resell the popular phones.

The crowd erupted in anger after the shop failed to open on schedule at 7 a.m. Some people threw eggs and shouted at employees through the shop windows.

Police cleared the area and employees later posted a sign in the window saying the iPhone 4S was out of stock. The area was sealed off with police tap at mid-morning.

Apple spokespeople in Beijing and at the company's California headquarters did not respond to phone and e-mail messages.

Apple's iPhones are hugely popular in China and stores are mobbed for the release of new models, which can be resold for large markups.

Last May, the Sanlitun store was closed for several hours after a scuffle between an employee and a customer during the release of the iPhone 4.

"On the one hand there is poor organization and on the other there were just too many people," said a man waiting Friday outside the Sanlitun store, who would give only his surname, Miao. "I don't think they prepared well enough."

Apple's other major outlet in Beijing in the Xidan district on the west side opened on schedule and the iPhone 4S was sold out by 10:30 a.m., according to an employee who answered the phone there. She refused to give her name or any other details.

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. Madam Sengupta Is Now Streaming: Know Where to Watch This Bangla Crime Thriller
  1. Mysterious Asteroid Impact Found in Australia, But the Crater is Missing
  2. Thanal Comes to OTT: Everything You Need to Know About This Tamil Action Thriller
  3. Madam Sengupta Is Now Streaming: Know Where to Watch This Bangla Crime Thriller
  4. Ryugu Samples Reveal Ancient Water Flow on Asteroid for a Billion Years
  5. Scientists Create Most Detailed Radio Map of Early Universe Using MWA
  6. Mayor of Kingstown Season 4 OTT Release: Know When, Where to Watch Jeremy Renner's Crime Drama
  7. Our Fault Is Streaming Now: Know All About This Gabriel Guevara and Nicole Wallace Starrer
  8. The Conjuring: Last Rites Is Now Streaming Online: Know Where to Watch the Latest Installment from the Horror Franchise
  9. Delhi Crime Season 3 OTT Release: Know When to Watch This Shefali Shah Thriller Series
  10. Vast Space to Launch Haven-1, the World’s First Private Space Station in 2026
Gadgets 360 is available in
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2025. All rights reserved.