White Apple iPhone 4 Launch in China Turns Violent

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Apple’s desirable image took a turn for the worst during last Saturday’s Beijing launch of the white iPhone 4. The flagship Sanlitun Apple Store encountered an incident of violence between queuing crowds and Apple staff.

While the earlier iPad 2 launch at the same store was generally organized and viewed as a success, the launch of the white iPhone 4 has left much to say about fanaticism over Apple products. The incident has left at least four people injured, with one man badly beaten with a metal stick by a “foreign Apple employee.” Accounts say the incident was caused by scalpers wanting to jump ahead in line, in order to buy the white iPhone 4 and sell it for a higher price. The store manager attempted to quell the rowdy crowd and beat up one of the the people on queue, although it’s not clear if this individual was part of the group of scalpers.

The crowd then attempted to retaliate, breaking a–supposedly very expensive–glass door in the process. Apple has since agreed to settle with the injured, in the amount of RMB 20,000 (about $3,080), to cover medical and other expenses.

This is surely an interesting incident, considering Apple products are actually made in China. It’s also said that Chinese culture puts a premium on such items as the iPhone 4 and iPad 2, to the extent that people will be willing to pay an extra premium just to get their hands on one–hence the popularity of scalping.