Posted by masseur
BBC article
Apple has said it will halt the sale of all iPhone models from its stores in China, after large crowds disrupted the launch of the iPhone 4S.
An Apple store, in the Sanlitun area of Beijing, did not open on Friday after a large crowd gathered outside in anticipation of the launch.
The crowd became unruly, throwing eggs. Scuffles broke out with police.
Posted by Bonovox
Oh i read about this in the BBC News website first thing this morning. What a society the world has turned into when people fight over these things like they did on Boxing day London. And also recently in America its going crazy. Next there will be a war over gadgets
Posted by masseur
it was the same recently in China with the Meizu launch too
Posted by Bonovox
The Chinese are crazy though if that was Japan they would form an orderly Q. What is the Meizu?? PS gotta dash am at work
_________________
Material things don't matter,but Rock n Roll does!!!!
[ This Message was edited by: Bonovox on 2012-01-13 12:16 ]
Posted by ofiaich
Hi bonovox!
This is Meizu
I will visit next May!
Ofiaich
Posted by Bonovox
Ah the fake iphone
Posted by Ricky D
That's my local Apple store, where I go in to laugh at the people to claim to be a genius.
It also the same store where the local news reported a an Apple employee removed queue jumpers from the launch of the iPad2 as 'White Apple employee beats up 4 Chinese guys (emphasis on race)' and showed video phone with two women saying "Did you see the white beat up the Chinese guys?? Why have they shut the store? They should let us go in and find and beat up that white guy!".
The Chinese love the Apple goods. Most people assume if you spend more than a certain amount of money you buy an iPhone because the other options simply aren't as good or there are no other options. It's really astounding the level of brand mind washing is present.
Sorry for the longish post, I can talk for hours about this. It's one thing that really gets my goat living in China.
Posted by Run_dawn10
Actually, some of them were scalpers which are only buying the phones to resell them for a higher price.
Posted by Bonovox
Personally I think it's sad scrambling for a phone
It's as if their lives depend on it.[ This Message was edited by: Bonovox on 2012-01-13 23:06 ]
Posted by Tsepz_GP
so weird, i was watching Bloomberg West last nite and they were there a few hours before the store was meant to open, and there was piece and excitement...wake up this morning, tune in to The Pulse on Bloomberg and that same store has now got egg stains, and people are fighting, i just laughed.
Hope Apple employees didnt disturb Tim Cook with this meaningless news, he's got $380million in stock to count...the lucky rich bastard. Its good to be Apple, Steve Ballmer could only wish the same happens when AT&T launch the Titan2 and Lumia900
Posted by Miss UK
How come the 4S has only launched now its been available since late october?
lol another thing "Designed by Apple California made in China" only now sold to unhappy punters
Posted by Bonovox
Steve Jobs will be either laughing in his grave or rolling his eyes
Posted by Ricky D
@Bonovox
Many would see this as a vital component to their life's success potential. It is sad but image is absolutely everything in China. People will open doors for you if they think you or your family or your company has a bit of money.
This leads to people buying Apple products because they symbolise a certain class of people with a certain amount of money and are "the best products you can buy" and owning an Apple product projects this image.
General Chinese mentality:
iPhone/iPad/Macbook Pro/Air = richer person = richer connections = richer prospects = more opportunities
And in China the ones who get the best opportunities don't just become rich but super rich.
Why does money mean so much? Because China is one of the places where if you have money you can buy your way in and out of the law easily and pretty openly and everyone knows it.
It is incredibly sad that the mentality is like that but it is nonetheless.
Posted by Bonovox
Yes mate i see your point but whatever status people have or whatever you want in life why can't people act like civilised people?? Its just a phone at the end of the day. Yeah i know its more than a phone as such but i see it as childish behaviour just to get a gadget. I wouldn' t mind the iphone is hardly revolutionary or anything exciting. The type of materialistic world we have become shooting or stabbing each other over items in stores is very sad. I would sooner rather go on a holiday
Posted by Ricky D
On 2012-01-14 08:23:00, Bonovox wrote:
Yes mate i see your point but whatever status people have or whatever you want in life why can't people act like civilised people?? Its just a phone at the end of the day. Yeah i know its more than a phone as such but i see it as childish behaviour just to get a gadget. I wouldn' t mind the iphone is hardly revolutionary or anything exciting. The type of materialistic world we have become shooting or stabbing each other over items in stores is very sad. I would sooner rather go on a holiday
Welcome to the world in which I live.
Posted by Bonovox
Where you live mate?? I would not open a door for someone just cos their rich or cos they have a high status.
Posted by Ricky D
I live in Beijing. Recently moved here from South Yorkshire.
It's amazing just how much different the world works out here. Absolute common decency, that even my neighbour's dog would have in the UK, doesn't apply here.
edit: the title Apple store in this thread really is my local Apple store. That is actually one of the poshest parts of town. I only wish I was joking when I say that.
[ This Message was edited by: Ricky D on 2012-01-14 09:44 ]
Posted by ofiaich
On 2012-01-14 09:58:51, Ricky D wrote:
On 2012-01-14 08:23:00, Bonovox wrote:
Yes mate i see your point but whatever status people have or whatever you want in life why can't people act like civilised people?? Its just a phone at the end of the day. Yeah i know its more than a phone as such but i see it as childish behaviour just to get a gadget. I wouldn' t mind the iphone is hardly revolutionary or anything exciting. The type of materialistic world we have become shooting or stabbing each other over items in stores is very sad. I would sooner rather go on a holiday
Welcome to the world in which I live.
See you in May, Ricky D
You can show me your world!
Should I carry or hide my iPad and iPod Touch
Posted by Miss UK
Ricky, What are the prices of the iPhones outhere?
are they the same price as the USA or EU?
considering there made in china I would exspect them to cost alot less then EU
Posted by masseur
in the same way that products made in England are cheap in England?
Posted by Miss UK
masseur whats exactly made in England these days except Hotpoint Washing Machines
First Thing that came into my head sorry
Posted by Miss UK
On 2012-01-14 21:25:33, Miss UK wrote:
masseur whats exactly made in England these days except Hotpoint Washing Machines
First Thing that came into my head sorry
Edit even that isn't so Hotpoint WIKI.
but saying that UK>VAT Slap bang
I guess China could be abit cheaper?
Posted by masseur
nope
Chinese Apple page for buying iPhone 4S
64gb costs 6788 which is about £702
Posted by Miss UK
£2 more ouch lol
Wonder if the workers within
The the warehouse get any discount? Lol
Posted by Ricky D
Many companies (inc Apple) fix their prices to a standard around the world and only make exceptions for key territories. Apple probably actually don't make much more money on an iPhone sold in China than on a iPhone sold in the UK though because China applies an extortionate 'luxury tax'.
I don't what the percentage is for phones but the luxury tax varies upto 30% and I think they count the iPhone as imported as, even though they're made in China it's made for an American company. Import tax on this sort of item is also ridiculous.
As an example of the crazy import and luxury taxes, BMWs and Mercedes cars until just recently had prices inflated by as much as 150% on top of the UK prices.
Posted by Bonovox
Though its made in China do all the components come from China or America or Japan whatever??
Posted by Ricky D
I'm pretty sure parts come from all over the world. Doesn't the camera module come from Sony Japan, screen from Samsung Korea and the glass is Corning I believe? That's just the high profile parts. The main boards are made by Foxconn in China.
Posted by Miss UK
That's interesting Ricky
I only assumed the UK had a tax
On virtually almost everything
Would be interesting if the employees
Got any discount if they worked for the
Company assembling the products though
Btw iPhones as we all know are cheaper in
USA however there tariffs are heaps more a month
I noticed this weeks ago an average 24mth plan
On AT&T would be $86 a month that's often without
Text messages, or data the yanks do have to pay up like us
If they had vat then I'm sure a lot would go without
A phone there lol
Posted by ofiaich
Hi Ricky,
is there much chance of me buying some good electronic bargains when I am in Beijing?
Ofiaich
Posted by Ricky D
Hey Ofiaich, really it depends what you're looking for. Like I said most genuine branded goods are at fixed international prices.
You might only save a few quid here and there, for example I bought a Samsung Series 9 1.7GHz at the weekend and paid 1030GBP maybe not like for like because the UK model is 1.4 or 1.5 GHz but the UK model is about 1000GBP give or take.
China is only really great now for being able to fake absolutely anything.
Posted by ofiaich
Thanks Ricky,
I am not sure yet, I guess maybe I will only want a Chinese - English - Chinese dictionary that has an English menu!
Maybe I will not even bother with one if I find the applications on my phone and iPod are good enough
Sent you a pm!
Ofiaich
[ This Message was edited by: ofiaich on 2012-01-15 01:21 ]
Posted by Bonovox
On 2012-01-15 01:17:59, Ricky D wrote:
I'm pretty sure parts come from all over the world. Doesn't the camera module come from Sony Japan, screen from Samsung Korea and the glass is Corning I believe? That's just the high profile parts. The main boards are made by Foxconn in China.
Ah,I remember now but I thought the Retina display was made by LG?? And where are Corning Glass based??
[ This Message was edited by: Bonovox on 2012-01-15 15:37 ]
Posted by Ricky D
I've just been reading about this more on a Chinese forum.
Apparently these scalpers are extremely organised and there's not just a few of them but hundreds.
There are organisers who advertise for people willing to queue for 10 hours for a payment of 100yuan (~10 pounds).
People who go and agree to the job get a coloured armband or hat to signify which group they are part of and so they know which group to follow to claim their wages for queueing and buying the handset.
The fights weren't all aimed at Apple, some of the fighting was because once Apple decided not to release the iPhone 4S that morning (probably because it was quite obvious what was going on) these 'workers' went to go claim their 100yuan from their employers because they had effectively done their job of queuing.
The organisers then didn't want to pay up because they hadn't got their product so the workers turned on the organisers and some organisers turned their work force against Apple.
There are some reports of groups of 500 people coming into the city by way of several coaches/minibuses, all of which working for the same group.
The sad thing is that some confused elderly people thought that the queuing was for train tickets (because train tickets are the only thing that have ever been worth queuing for in China leading up to Chinese New Year when everyone wants to go home to their families) and spent the whole night queuing for train tickets to find out that the queue was for iPhones and that even they weren't going on sale!
Images from the day
This stuff really is beyond belief.
@Bonovox I thought the screens were Samsung actually but either way I think you get my point
Posted by Tsepz_GP
AFAIK, LG do make the IPS Retina Displays for iPhone. Samsung make AMOLED displays.
Thats incredible Ricky D
Shows you how important it is to have a clear understanding ofevery market you go into, realy bad PR for Apple.
Posted by Ricky D
In China this hasn't hurt their reputation at all but quite the opposite. Everyone in China (when I say everyone I mean literally everyone who is Chinese), believes Apple products to be the best and wanted an iPhone because it shows their status. Now you can't buy the Phone 4S in every shop in the street the 4S is even rarer and therefore more valuable than before (and people were selling kidneys and virginity for the old iPhone 4!). Having a 4S shows an even higher status because you're part of the elite who knows how to get one.
In terms of world rep, not many people outside of China read about this, they would ave seen the headline about fighting outside the stores but not about the stupidity, short-sightedness, selfishness and lack of civilised behaviour of the Chinese. It doesn't affect the average person outside of China.
Once again Apple wins.
[ This Message was edited by: Ricky D on 2012-01-17 00:39 ]
Posted by Tsepz_GP
Explains why so many luxury brands are all fighting to get in to China, i heard Burberry saw a huge upwards spike on profits once they launched in China.
I remember Jeremy Clarkson also spoke of how important it is to own a German car to gain status in China, it actualy explains a lot of what ive seen here in South Africa, we have a growing Chinese population, and many of them are prepared to buy a big Mercedes S-Class, and put their kids through the most expensive private schools while they live in a small 2-3bedroom apartment.
Its all about status for many of them.
Posted by Ricky D
It s absolutely about status. You're right that Burburry is one of the big brands that have a big reputation here. Louis Vuitton and Chanel also, Mercedes/BMW when it comes to carsalthough they're getting a taste for Maserati recently. I've seen more Maseratis here than in London.
It's not just brands that the world see as luxury though. Many of the middle classes and 'new rich' in China haven't actualy been abroad to see what the world perceives as luxury so they are buying any foreign brand that is pitching itself right and mas it's prices up. The thesis is "price is directly proportional to quality and luxury", so what we're seeing is nobody brands or budget brands from overseas are coming into China and marking their prices to luxury price bands and selling like hot cakes.
Top example in my mind is Clarks shoes from the UK is an average standard shoe company. £20-80 average for a pair of shoes. Here they start at £200 and go up through the roof and people buy them!