China iPad 2 frenzy causes Apple Store scuffle in Beijing
Just one day after Apple's iPad 2 launch drew long lines in China, conflicting reports emerged Saturday regarding an alleged altercation at an Apple Store in Beijing.
Update: CNN reports that an alleged scalper tried repeatedly to cut into a line of customers waiting for the white iPhone 4 at the Beijing Sanlitun Apple Store on Saturday. After security guards and an Apple retail manager attempted to escort the individual away, but a shoving match resulted. After the situation got out of control, security guards locked the front door of the store. Disgruntled customers responded by shaking the glass door, which shattered.
AppleInsider reported on Friday that the launch of the iPad 2 in China drew crowds containing both fans and scalpers. In anticipation of crushing demand for the touchscreen tablet, Apple retail staff had instituted new waiting procedures that included numbered wristbands.
Chinese Mac site MacX (via Google Translate) reports that the Beijing Sanlitun Apple Store temporarily closed for business on Saturday afternoon after an altercation allegedly broke out between scalpers and an Apple Store employee, though the specific details of the incident remain unclear.
The apparent facts of the incident are that four people were injured and taken to the hospital, one of the glass doors for the Apple Store was broken and the store was closed for a time for cleanup and a subsequent police investigation.
The report alleges that a near "riot" erupted after retail staff attempted to close the store and usher customers out the back door. A separate unconfirmed report claims that a fight broke out between "a foreigner and a Chinese man," though MacX notes that the information "is difficult to distinguish between true or false."
The line for the iPad 2 at Apple's flagship Beijing Sanlitun store on Friday, May 6
According to another unverified report from Chinese micro-blog Sinatech, police sources claim that Apple Store employees battered a self-proclaimed "jobless" man who may have been acting as a scalper.
Apple has drawn crowds with each of its recent major product releases in China. The launch of the original iPad in September of last year drew long lines, with some customers waiting over 60 hours to purchase the device. A week later, the release of the iPhone 4 saw overwhelming demand as thousands of customers lined up for the smartphone.
The Cupertino, Calif., company has just four retail stores in the country, which has a population of over 1.3 billion. Apple has said last month that it has focused most of its emerging market efforts on China. The company has indicated plans to open 25 retail stores in the country over the next few years.
Update: CNN reports that an alleged scalper tried repeatedly to cut into a line of customers waiting for the white iPhone 4 at the Beijing Sanlitun Apple Store on Saturday. After security guards and an Apple retail manager attempted to escort the individual away, but a shoving match resulted. After the situation got out of control, security guards locked the front door of the store. Disgruntled customers responded by shaking the glass door, which shattered.
AppleInsider reported on Friday that the launch of the iPad 2 in China drew crowds containing both fans and scalpers. In anticipation of crushing demand for the touchscreen tablet, Apple retail staff had instituted new waiting procedures that included numbered wristbands.
Chinese Mac site MacX (via Google Translate) reports that the Beijing Sanlitun Apple Store temporarily closed for business on Saturday afternoon after an altercation allegedly broke out between scalpers and an Apple Store employee, though the specific details of the incident remain unclear.
The apparent facts of the incident are that four people were injured and taken to the hospital, one of the glass doors for the Apple Store was broken and the store was closed for a time for cleanup and a subsequent police investigation.
The report alleges that a near "riot" erupted after retail staff attempted to close the store and usher customers out the back door. A separate unconfirmed report claims that a fight broke out between "a foreigner and a Chinese man," though MacX notes that the information "is difficult to distinguish between true or false."
The line for the iPad 2 at Apple's flagship Beijing Sanlitun store on Friday, May 6
According to another unverified report from Chinese micro-blog Sinatech, police sources claim that Apple Store employees battered a self-proclaimed "jobless" man who may have been acting as a scalper.
Apple has drawn crowds with each of its recent major product releases in China. The launch of the original iPad in September of last year drew long lines, with some customers waiting over 60 hours to purchase the device. A week later, the release of the iPhone 4 saw overwhelming demand as thousands of customers lined up for the smartphone.
The Cupertino, Calif., company has just four retail stores in the country, which has a population of over 1.3 billion. Apple has said last month that it has focused most of its emerging market efforts on China. The company has indicated plans to open 25 retail stores in the country over the next few years.
Comments
Thats the earliest I've seen godwins law invoked.
It's the first time I've seen consumerism posited as a precursor to Naziism too.
the descent of china into consumerist hell has begun, let's all in the west hope that in ten years time they won't be the new hitlers of the world.
Have you been paying attention to the cradle of fascists/nationalist parties raising to power in Europe?
It's the first time I've seen consumerism posited as a precursor to Naziism too.
Thats the earliest I've seen godwins law invoked.
Second post ... might be a record!
...from people stampeding to return them to stores once they see what a piece of crap it is.
Second post ... might be a record!
I'm gonna try to beat that record. Next story that goes up where I see I'd be first to post, I'm just gonna write "Hitler!"
It's the first time I've seen consumerism posited as a precursor to Naziism too.
Volkswagen was founded by the Nazis, but that's probably consumerism surviving Naziism by accident.
Have you been paying attention to the cradle of fascists/nationalist parties raising to power in Europe?
you don't get it, leave it.
I'm gonna try to beat that record. Next story that goes up where I see I'd be first to post, I'm just gonna write "Hitler!"
I had that same exact thought just a couple days ago. I saw it invoked somewhere and wondered if it was declared on post number one if it would have a different effect. Having it show up on post number 2 so soon was surprising.
Volkswagen was founded by the Nazis, but that's probably consumerism surviving Naziism by accident.
I didn't do a search first but volkwagon wasnt founded by the nazis. I think it was that hitler asked/ordered(?) Ferdinand Porsche to make a car for the average person. Volks (people's) wagon(car).
As I recall...
It's the first time I've seen consumerism posited as a precursor to Naziism too.
Hah. You didn't live through the 70s.
When I was waiting at a NYC Apple store in line one morning there was some sort of altercation between some Chinese scalpers and Russian scalpers. Unfortunately, it didn't come to blows, so nobody was ejected from the line. That obviously would have been the most preferable and desirable outcome, as it would have meant that everybody else would have moved up a few places in line.
Apple products are real popular, so the product launches are bound to attract seedy people, criminals and other sorts of scum.
Hah. You didn't live through the 70s.
Hey, there's nothing wrong with the 70's. Waddaya some kinda nazi or something?
Steve, two words: "museum glass", please make it happen. If you won't bring back matte to the imac, then make the glass anti glare. So many people are holding out for this.
We tested Museum glass in the studio. Like everything else, the brighter the light in front of the monitor = the greater the reflection; the brighter the light shining directly onto the monitor the greater the glare.
Dimming the lights and placing them properly = no reflection or glare on either matte or glossy screens.
But very problematic, is the inherent yellow tint in Museum Glass, and you don't have to be a professional photographer, illustrator or graphic designer to realize how distracting that could be.
Optically pure – Acrylic is more optically pure than glass unless you get the more expensive reduced iron glass such as Tru Vue Museum glass. Regular glass, especially less expensive non-framing grade glass, has a green tint. UV filter Acrylic and UV filter glass both have a yellow tint (including the Museum glass). The yellow tint has a warming effect and is due to the UV filter. In the case of Acrylic it is built into the material. In the case of glass, it is coating that may deteriorate and lose effectiveness depending on the quality of the brand.
http://www.framedestination.com/acrylic_selection.html