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IPhone sells out in Hong Kong, leaving many empty-handed(EFE Ingles Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) by Isabel Fueyo Hong Kong, Sep 19 (EFE).- The launch of the iPhone 6 in Hong Kong left dozens of people who waited all night in line to buy it saying they were dissatisfied because the first batch of the new model went to buyers who had previously booked them over the internet. The Apple store opened its doors at 07:30 (23:30 GMT Thursday), two and a half hours before its usual time, to attend to its impatient clientele. Hundreds of buyers rushed to buy the mobile phones while Apple employees maintained order and ensured that only those customers with prior bookings entered the shop. On account of the pre-booked orders, both versions of the first lot of the mobile phone sold out in just three minutes, forcing those without a booking to return empty-handed even though some of them had spent the entire night outside the store. Derik Suen, one of those who successfully bought the new iPhone, stepped out of the store with two models of the cheaper version of the mobile, one for him and the other for his wife, for which he paid a total of about $1,440. "I used one of the earliest versions of the iPhone. Later I switched to Android but did not like it. Now, I have the opportunity to be one of the first with the latest model," he told Efe, holding one in each hand. However, not everyone who bought the latest model did so out of loyalty to the 'bitten apple' logo. Yit Gong, who waited in line for 20 minutos after reaching the spot at 08:30, bought the iPhone 6 in order to resell it. "I am still not sure how I will sell it. But at least I know that I am going to get about $400 more than what I have paid," he told Efe, while entering the store amidst the customary applause from Apple employees. Ernest Lee, a young man from Hong Kong, came out of the store with two models of the more expensive version of the iPhone 6, while two friends waited for him outside. "A friend will buy both the phones for $2,400," he told Efe, a sum $800 over the actual price. His friend, in turn, will sell them in China for another $300 to $400 more. "He says that there are already people in China willing to pay $2000 for each one," Lee added. Apple selected Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore to release its latest phones in the Asian continent, excluding the company's second-largest market, China, for the first time. Throughout the week, Chinese media reported that several shops in Beijing were accepting up to $4,500 per phone as advance payment from its most impatient customers. Certain retail websites on the internet, such as Taobao, were charging up to $700 just to make a booking. The Chinese black market provides more creative alternatives than the ones by the California-based company, offering the iPhone in a wide range of colors other than the white, gold and steel available at Apple stores. "I prefer to make less money here than run the risk of crossing the border at Shenzen where the Customs can stop me and fine me," Lee said. In Hong Kong, several shops had announced the availability of the iPhone 6 this week, knowing very well that the only way to have the gadget on their shelves is to buy them from people like Lee and Gong. Meanwhile, Apple has announced on its Hong Kong version of the webpage that starting from Saturday at 8:00 AM, new bookings for the iPhone 6 will start being taken from those not lucky enough the first time. EFE ifs/rcf/mr-sc/bl/amg (c) 2014 EFE News Services (U.S.) Inc. |