Reporter Gets In The Middle of Apple Store Riot at iPhone 4S launch in China

Apple temporarily stopped selling the iPhone 4S in Beijing and Shanghai right before the device officially went on sale in China last night. Long lines outside of Apple Stores in Beijing started forming days in advance of today’s launch, and ultimately SWAT teams were brought in to help control disgruntled crowds who attacked security and threw eggs.

Many have reported the angry mobs were full of “devout fans”, but The New York Times explains that most were migrant workers hired to sit in line and purchase the device for gray market scalpers.

Had Apple opened their doors, the workers reportedly would have been paid 100 renminbi (around $16) for their trouble.

Apple issued this official statement following the riots:

Unfortunately, we were unable to open our store at Sanlitun due to the large crowd. And to ensure the safety of our customers and our employees, iPhones will not be available in our retails stores in Beijing and Shanghai for the time being.

Our best look at the incident comes from CNN reporter Stan Grant who was on the ground in Beijing outside the Apple Store where the initial rioting took place.  The video below pretty much says it all:

Of course Apple’s decision to not open its doors is more than likely to avoid stampeding and risk the safety of staff and customers, as noted in its statement. Some are calling out Apple for not anticipating and better preparing for the massive crowds, which are obviously typical for products launches like the iPhone. However, It’s not clear how many of the rioters were gray market line sitters simply angry about not being paid.

The device will still be sold to customers in China through the Apple online store and China Unicom, the only carrier in the country currently offering iPhones.

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