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iPhone 4S Launch Delayed in Beijing as SWAT Teams Respond to Violence

your photo is not correct

i am surprised that no one has commented that the photo that mac rumors has in the lead article on this is not a photo of a 4S launch in China.
it certainly is an apple store in china after some model of the iPhone was launched, but it most certainly is not a recent photo.
really should be more careful about things like this.
 
A new form of the cultural revolution?

50 years ago, the Chinese used to kill people because they were educated.

Now they have to launch swat teams because people are too dumb, going all gaga over a phone.

Shouldn't have killed so many of their best people.
 
thats why i like to be german, we r way to impatient to wait in line :D people got annoyed waiting after 5 minutes
 
Hmm as others have said, this happens everywhere (minus the SWAT teams!) remember the violence in PS3 launch queues in the US? And when sales/black friday stuff flares up.

There's no excuse for the racism in some peoples posts.
 
What's the problem with the scalpers taking cuts like this? Banks and real-estate brokers have been doing this for ages, and they even get money support from the U.S. Government to do so.
 
ArtOfWarfare said:
Wow.

Where does violence like this come from, or I suppose more to the point, how do we remove it from society? Initially, I figured we as a species need to promote stronger family ties so that people don't feel the need to join gangs, but then I remembered family feuds and such. I suppose everyone needs to be able to learn how to forgive each other (that doesn't mean forgetting they've wronged you in the past... you can still not trust them, but you should decide not to escalate the violence.)
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Ironic username, all things considered.
 
It's just a smartphone

Why is this iPhone worth a riot? How about the economic disparities, the debt crisis, and government oppression? There seem to be many more important things to fight about than a silly iPhone 4S.
 
torbjoern said:
What's the problem with the scalpers taking cuts like this? Banks and real-estate brokers have been doing this for ages, and they even get money support from the U.S. Government to do so.
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I don't have a problem with scalpers, per se. I do think the scalper angle is important to understanding the violence. China is experiencing high inflation and there is a big wealth gap. Most of the scalpers are desperate people, barely getting by.

If the line was only people wanting an iPhone for themselves, I think the crowd would just have a collective sad, grumble a bit and then go over to the Starbucks for a mochachino. The scalpers have to figure out a new way make rent.
 
torbjoern said:
"Scalping" = exploitation of a healthy market.

What is the problem? If the so-called scalpers are more skilled than Apple at selling the iPhone for the price which people are willing to pay, then the market is supposed to reward them and not throw eggs at them.
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Some people, like those at Apple, make money by creating products and services which make people's lives easier, or more productive, or more fun; and profit as a result.

Then there are people like these scalpers, who make money by inserting themselves as unwanted middle-men; adding no value, but just hiking up the price for the end user. Parasites, in other words.

If eggs were thrown at them, I hope they were several weeks rotten and smelt vile.
 
People have to understand that none of this is because chinese people love apple products or because these people really want to buy the iphone. Its all because of one word PROFIT. Chinese news reported that 99% of these people in line are paid by scalpers. They get paid 100RMB (a little less than 20bucks) to stand in line for 12 hours to get the iphone and then give it to the scalpers to turn for profit. Pretty much if you don't have an iphone you wouldn't get paid that 100RMB. Theres pictures of the line in Shanghai where almost everyone in line is wearing some sort of symbol (red cap, yellow armband...etc) which symbolizes the scalper they are working for. These are essentially organized gangs with only one purpose: to make money. For all they care it could be a piece of ***** they are standing in line to buy.

I work in china and I see this happen quite often. Pretty much if theres profit involved people become uncivilized angry mobs when they don't get what they want.
 
MattOfStLouis said:
Think about it this way: for a large part of the crowd, it's not a phone. Reselling that phone is their livelihood.
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That's not an excuse. A lot of theives also justify their robbery that it is their livelihood, now we can argue the motives, but does this make what they do less wrong? no.
 
lilkangster said:
People have to understand that none of this is because chinese people love apple products or because these people really want to buy the iphone. Its all because of one word PROFIT. Chinese news reported that 99% of these people in line are paid by scalpers. They get paid 100RMB (a little less than 20bucks) to stand in line for 12 hours to get the iphone and then give it to the scalpers to turn for profit. Pretty much if you don't have an iphone you wouldn't get paid that 100RMB.
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Isn't it the point to scalp something that's in heavy demand?

(Mind you, in this case they could be re-selling outside of China, so you may have a point.)
 
allmIne said:
Ironic username, all things considered.
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I don't see it that way. Understanding everything about wars is important in preventing their occurrence. Not that I claim to know everything about war. It's just a cool username I came up with years ago when I played WarCraft III online a lot and I've just kept using it since.
 
AndyR said:
Its a frickin' phone people! Get a grip!
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It's not the phone, it's the money that is made from marking it up and reselling it. They are probably making several hundred in profit (if not more) from each phone. I know that the 4s ,when it was released here, was being resold for around $1500 in China.

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topmounter said:
They should send in drones armed with tear gas, pepper spray and ballistic batons!
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Maybe they could use iPhone controlled Parrot drones to deliver the spray :p

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dashtekahe said:
what a sick country!!:(
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Oh come on. One product line on release day incident and we paint the whole several billion Chinese with one broad brush stroke?
 
arogge said:
Why is this iPhone worth a riot? How about the economic disparities, the debt crisis, and government oppression? There seem to be many more important things to fight about than a silly iPhone 4S.
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It's worth a riot because of those issues you've listed. The phone is a limited commodity, with very high demand, and Apple is selling it for below free-market value.

Those scalpers are lining up to buy it, sell it for profit, to feed their families.

Apple needs to jack the price up appropriately to curb demand, and thus prevent riots. They are not pricing it according to the market and their supply chain capability.
 
Menel said:
It's worth a riot because of those issues you've listed. The phone is a limited commodity, with very high demand, and Apple is selling it for below free-market value.

Those scalpers are lining up to buy it, sell it for profit, to feed their families.

Apple needs to jack the price up appropriately to curb demand, and thus prevent riots. They are not pricing it according to the market and their supply chain capability.
Click to expand...

Your post just made my day!
 
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