Apple's flagship Beijing store sits closed, covered in eggs, as many shoppers lost their patience after Apple announced that the store would not be selling the iPhone 4S, "Unfortunately, we were unable to open our store at Sanlitun due to the large crowd and to ensure the safety of our customers and employees. The iPhone will not be available in our retail stores in Beijing and Shanghai for the time being."
The closure was brought about by gangs of scalpers and to a lesser extent, other crowd members fighting amongst themselves, attracting the attention of the Beijing police. The announcement of the closure itself caused further uproar as many crowd members had waited in-line in temperatures of as little as minus nine degrees through the evening, with one man shouting "We're suffering from cold and hunger, they said they're not going to sell to us. Why? Why?". There are also reports that groups of migrant workers had been sent to queue by other retail outlets, each given a £1 food budget, who will no longer receive their promised pay of £12 as they failed to obtain any iPhones.
Meanwhile in other stores in Beijing and Shanghai, sales went smoothly, though with many Chinese punters unhappy as stock sold-out within minutes of opening "I'm very angry, they had said they would start selling the iPhone 4S at 7a.m. but I was told they were already sold out by the time I got here at 6a.m." said Li Yun, 59 year-old father who had attempted to purchase a device for his daughter, only to find that the People's Square store in Shanghai had opened its doors early to accommodate the waiting crowds.
Apple has confirmed that the iPhone 4S will still be available online and through its carrier partner and authorised resellers, though for the time being, the device will not be sold in its official Beijing and Shanghai stores.
