Eggs are pelted at Apple in Beijing as iPhone 4s turns sour
It has been one of the most anticipated launches in smartphone history. While there has been excitement and enthusiasm as Apple iPhone 4S has launched around the globe with free gifts, nothing has so far matched the hysteria it met with in Beijing where the launch of the popular device had to be cancelled because so many showed up.
After it first launched in the UK in mid-October last year, the iPhone 4S has spent the past three months opening in new markets. China has been a particular target for Apple for several years. One of the fastest growing economies in the country with over a billion residents it offers Apple a real opportunity for even further growth. A sixth of its global sales are in China.
Consumers in Beijing had gathered outside the Apple store expecting to receive the new iPhone 4S after it was expected to go on sale. The store then announced it would not open and Apple later said it was suspending all retail sales of the new device in China, although consumers could still buy it online. With that new scuffles began to break out, and eggs were thrown at the building. One of the major worries, it has been reported is that many planned to buy the device in bulk and then sell it at a profit. In another Apple store in Beijing, the staff said that it sold out of its 2000 iPhone 4S by 9am.
Reasons for the delay in sales have been placed at the size of the crowd and concern for Apple staff. It is not known when the device will go back on sale in China, at least in the high street and in shopping centres.
The hysteria as the iPhone 4S launch has moved across the globe must be reassuring for Apple. While there have been complaints and concerns about the devices battery in the UK and the US the stores in China are routinely mobbed when a new device comes out. There are only stores in Beijing and Shanghai with few authorized retailers. It makes it easier for people to scoop up handsets and sell them on in other areas.
Consumer experts have suggested the scuffles show it is time for devices to be released at the same time in China as it is in the UK and the US. Some think perhaps it was a reduced supply which has led to this staggered global launch, rather than a marketing strategy. Buy for analysts in China, who recognise how increasingly important their market is to the tech giant, they wonder if they should not feature higher on the launch lists. Already Apple enthusiasts have travelled to Hong Kong to get their hands on the latest devices. Others suggest it is an opportunity to push online retailing in China and focus on sales that way.
No matter what Apple learn from the botched release in China many will get their hands on the iPhone 4S in the country and there will continue to be real enthusiasm for the products. Perhaps they will revamp their launch strategy in time for the iPhone 4S.
Eggs are pelted at Apple in Beijing as iPhone 4s turns sour