Apple’s iPhone 4 launch in China was met with long lines and massive crowds, leading to a quick sellout of the country’s inventory. China’s iPhone 4 launch stands in stark contrast to the country’s iPhone 3GS rollout where it took several days to sell only 5,000 units.
Some shoppers lined up two days ahead of the launch, according to Computerworld. When Beijing’s new Xidan Joy City Apple Store opened its doors, over 1,000 people were lined up with hopes of being among the first to get their hands on Apple’s latest combination iPod and smartphone.
Excited crowds at China’s iPhone 4 Launch
“It’s like waiting in line to see a movie star,” commented Sun Jian Kuan, who was waiting in line for his iPhone 4.
China Unicom was hit with more than 200,000 iPhone 4 pre-orders by the time the handset went on sale, and the carrier said it processed over 40,000 activations on launch day.
The country’s inventory didn’t, however, last for long. Demand quickly outpaced supply, leaving Apple and China Unicom promising to get more units on store shelves as quickly as possible, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Apple isn’t saying how quickly it can get more iPhones into its China stores.