Beijing Apple Store Egged After Botched iPhone Launch

Angry crowd is told 4S sale canceled
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 13, 2012 1:41 AM CST
Updated Jan 13, 2012 3:10 AM CST
Beijing Apple Store Egged After Botched iPhone Launch
Police drag away a woman who refused to give up on getting an iPhone 4S.   (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

If notorious perfectionist Steve Jobs was still alive, today's bungled launch of the iPhone 4S in Beijing might have given him a heart attack. Would-be customers who waited all night in freezing temperatures became furious when Apple's flagship Beijing store abruptly announced that the phone would not go on sale as scheduled, AP reports. Police cordoned off the store after the angry crowd pelted it with eggs.

The crowd included dozens of migrant laborers hired by resellers who ended up going home without pay, BusinessWeek reports. An Apple spokeswoman says they were unable to open the store because of the size of the crowd. The iPhone "will not be available in our retail stores in Beijing and Shanghai for the time being," she added. Other Apple stores in China did open today, notes the AP, and the iPhone 4S quickly sold out—despite virtual assistant Siri's lack of Mandarin. (More iPhone stories.)

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