In China, Apple products are hot. Long lines of eager customers and swarms of lurking scalpers are typical each time Apple launches a new product here. The release of the iPad 2 and white iPhone 4 last weekend was no exception. However, sales on Saturday hit a speed bump when foreign Apple employees and Chinese customers were caught in a scuffle outside one of Apple's Beijing stores.
According to witnesses, a Chinese man thought to be a scalper -- a buyer who makes multiple purchases to resell at higher prices -- tried three times to cut into a long line of customers waiting to buy the newly-released white iPhone 4 in Beijing. Three Apple security guards and an Apple manager attempted to escort the individual away from the store. Two of the employees were foreigners.
As the man was taken away, witnesses said a shoving match erupted, involving an Apple employee and a member of the alleged scalpers' family. When the situation escalated, Apple security guards shut and locked the front door of the store.
In protest, a group rushed the entrance and shook the glass door until it shattered. A metal hinge was seen falling from the door, hitting a security guard on the head. Two men and two women suffered minor injuries in the clash, state media reported. (read more)
