[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ef_BznBwktw]
Casey Neistat’s latest video isn’t really news to anyone nor does it appear that Apple can or will do anything about the problem but perhaps this years delayed launch in China has exacerbated it even more. What can Apple do in this situation?
Another video of the 5th Avenue line below:
My new movie. it's hard to watch and makes me very sad — iPhone 6 Lines and the Chinese Mafia – https://t.co/KnS8KAYrwE
— Casey Neistat (@Casey) September 20, 2014
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel
Not sure Apple can do anything.. It’s obvious some type of organized scalping is going on and most of those phones are going overseas, but even the police are helpless to stop it.. All they can do is keep the peace…
Part of it is China too, they have been slow to allow Apple to sell the latest device.. again, all Apple can do is make the case and keep trying to get the phones approved.
Bad situation all around really.
It’s not a crime to stand in line, buy an iPhone with cash, and resell it.
It’s illegal to leave trash, sleep and obstruct the sidewalk.
Exactly, I don’t see what the big deal is. If people can make money doing that, WITHOUT sleeping in line, then that’s their choice. So what if I have to wait a bit more to receive mine. I can go to the apple store, pick the one I want, and order it on line.
Yeah. I found this video to be ever so slightly racist as well.
The cops certainly reacted that way. Arresting folks for “sleeping on the sidewalk?” WTF? A bunch of rich white hipsters wouldn’t be arrested for that.
And all that jazz at the end about the “handoff”??? Most of what I saw could easily be women “handing off” to their husbands.
Apple should just ban line-ups altogether IMO.
Someone should ban you Herb. You didn’t see the the bag with 12 iPhones in it? What part was racist exactly?
It’s very clear that the people in line were buying iPhones for resale, and that someone was, in effect, paying them to stay in line and buy some phones. They’d buy the iPhone for $X, sell it for $Y a few minutes later, and make a few bucks. This is the way that a legitimate economy works.
I KNOW that once you have several hundred people in a line for 72+ hours that a few of them will be doing something is illegal, like publicly defecating, blocking the movement of others, or deciding to pick a fight. Yes, these acts are illegal, as they should be, and police officers are assigned to deal with it. It does seem to be a crummy part of an officer’s job, but I do think it is a serious problem that some officers end up becoming very unprofessional despite their awful beat for that day. Then again, I think it is important for the officers to take care of these illegal activities – it is part of their profession.
I do think it overly harsh to call these reports “racist”, but I also think it is grossly misguided of the reporters to suggest that these acts of waiting in line, buying, and selling are the makings of a “black market”. There is no hint of any kind of illegal market here.
To me, the interesting part of the report was the line-waiters that were once “fans” are now “resellers”. Just like game tickets, concert tickets, and other limited-resource items.
There is absolutely no proof of any of what is alleged in that video. What a disgrace.
The blame for this situation rests squarely with the Chinese government. Ther delays around approval of sales in China have created this black market. The motivation for the delay there is clearly political. I’m glad to see the issue publicized. Maybe someone in China is listening.
Lol, China listening to the west…. thats a novel concept. The biggest problem is that most purchasers of these devices in the ‘States know that the best way is to pre-order or wait and buy it after. So, the lines have gone from throngs of local Apple fans to huge groups of foreign purchasers who couldn’t care less about the importance of the occasion. The tipping point for Apple will be when they have a negative PR situation here in NY that tarnishes their reputation enough to act. Barring that, the only motivation for Apple and the line waiters is $$.
Now, @kathycorby, while this specific rise in the Chinese line-waiters could be linked with foot dragging in Beijing, this phenomenon has been building with each successive launch. I remember having a large foreign contingent from many Eastern Bloc and Middle Eastern countries waiting in the line as far north as Maine and New Hampshire. These grey market “organizations’ are very influential, and they study the purchase process and restrictions very carefully to maximise the number of devices that can be purchased at a time. Welcome to the capitalist economy.
Finally, while I don’t for a second think that any of this will change in the short term, at least the money made by Apple continues to drive the innovation and R&D to create new, intriguing products for those of us who are try Apple fans. Swings and roundabouts…
The second video needed the “Video Stabilizer” of the iPhone 6 Plus… I got dizzy first minute in.
I’m glad you posted this
Can’t believe you wrote “exasperated it”! Should have been “exacerbated it”. They’re completely and utterly different words…
Beat me to it.
I actually mis-spelled masturbated and got spell checked.
A typo in concert with auto spelling correction can do that! Everyone should watch out!!!
Wow, it’s like a tour of one of the iPhone factories.
Well all I took from that is that NY Police are as much assholes as I suspected. God bless jaded assholes who police us everywhere.
The police are tired of getting hundreds of complaints of garbage and foul smells from the sidewalk. The people living and working in the area deserve better.
Apple will have to come up with another method to distribute phones in NYC because it’s obvious the current system isn’t working.
It’s not working anywhere
In store pick ups only and no waiting before 5am the morning of release. That’ll solve the problem.
Yep. Verbally abusing those in line just because they can. Buff pig roughing up a lady half his size just so he could cuff her. Reminds me why I fucking hate cops, especially NYPD assholes.
Also, if this had been a line of middle class whites, the cops would have been far more respectful. They are disgusting excuses for humans.
Middle class person of any ethnic origin normally wouldn’t queue for 48 hours outdoors for a consumer electronics item.
I can only imagine his frustration with people ignoring repeated instructions to not block the sidewalk so people in the neighbourhood can actually get around.
– comment made by a middle class non-white person
She was very clearly resisting arrest. And we can’t really see what exactly happened because an officer was standing in front of the camera, but it looks like she almost completely broke free before she was taken down.
“Mafia” may be the wrong word but their behavior is suggestive that the whole process is somehow organized. It might not be illegal, but everyone doesn’t necessarily have to like it. I do hope Apple does something about it.
As for the police complaining about garbage/smell and telling people they’re not allowed to sleep on the sidewalks, it’s fine as long as they’re not targeting the Chinese specifically. There’s no way of figuring that out though since the video is specifically focused on the Chinese campers.
Hate to break it to you but these lines are almost exclusively Asian campers. I did see a group of black people in the Apple line in the very front at the w14th street store in NYC. I just think the Apple line thing was cute but now we must move on from it and instead utilize the in store pick up option for all launch day releases in the US. I know Apple wants to sell more phones but the situation looks dangerous. It also means police officers are guarding Apple lines rather than attending to other things that may be more important than protecting the Asian black market for iPhones.
With the launch day turning from a fun, exciting event to a Scalping Business, and such negative publicity, there doesn’t appear to be much upside to Apple selling unreserved phones on the day.
First two week sales should be by reservation only from unique IP address through a lottery system.
Agreed. I don’t think there needs to be a lottery system. I think its best to just get people off the streets for days at a time.
can’t they just ONLY take debit/credit for purchases over $X? problem solved?
They tried that (with credit card only) and people claimed discrimination. So, Apple can’t win.
how dare these people make money! of course its the mafia – it must be!
no, they should not be allowed to wait on any lines, nor should be allowed to carry cash..
and when the sun sets, god help those who dare venture into the night..
and they better be parfumed or else
You’re obviously very naive and know very little about the impact these lines have for other local merchants, office buildings and condos that need to employ security so people can enter and leave their premises.
You are the one being naive. You watched a slanted video that made some accusations without any real support and then you just believed it. it may be true or false, but to just believe what is being presented to you without any facts to back it up is definitely “naive.”
i know it is terrible for 5th avenue!
i pity the condo owners, i went a few blocks north to st patricks and prayed for their well being
You assume I haven’t experienced the situation in person. Ever wonder why news organizations don’t bother showing the people queuing in NYC? They, like the rest of us know what’s going on.
Apple needs to have a lottery for appointments to purchase the phones and only accept credit card payments for the first two weeks. That will curb others from using these people as slave labour for 48 hours straight.
Completely agree. Apple should only allow iPhone to be pre-ordered and picked up/delivered for the first week or so. It’s much more convenient anyways.
Can’t wash it? Clean it up with Febreze!
I have to say calling this the “Chinese Mafia” is way offensive and almost certainly uncalled for.
I have lots of Chinese friends that do this for every, single, iPhone release … and the vast majority of them are re-selling the phone, but still have nothing to do with the “Chinese Mafia.”
They are immigrants. They have relatives overseas who want iPhones and are willing to pay. To automatically jump to the assumption of organised crime (and what’s taking place is not den a “crime” in the first place), is beyond the pale.
Also, the film-maker could easily have left out the reference to how the Chinese people lining up … “stink.” Just because some a-hole racist cop said it, doesn’t mean that it had to be included in the film.
Anyone that doesn’t shower for 48 hours will eventually stink. Pointing out a hygiene issue doesn’t make a person a racist.
Bull. The cop pointing it out (loudly), didn’t have to say it, he just wanted to be an a-hole to the people. The film maker has a choice of what to include and not to include in the story and also how that is done. These are all choices that were made, and they didn’t have to be.
I’ve thrown the “racist” word in two of my comments here, because it’s pretty obvious that this is what was going on. Can I prove it? No. Could we give everyone the benefit of the doubt, and pretend that they were just acting that way for other reasons? Yes. But I stand by what I said in any case because pretending everything is rosy isn’t my thing.
Totally agreed. The film maker jumped to the conclusion on title with Chinese Mafia is misleading and disturbing. Lining up for iphone release is nothing about Mafia, it is about making a little money for survival. The author of the film owns the public an apology.
@tofubear,
Of course he dosen’t owe the public an apology! He made a film and showed it how it is. If anyone should apologize, it should be the Chinese standing in the que!
If he is documenting the realities of the situation then I think it is important to leave that cops remarks in the film. I don’t think he shows it clearly enough, but he came to the conclusion of organized crime when he saw people with two, four, six Apple store bags – each with two iPhones in them. I don’t know about you, but my cousin has no need for 12 iPhones.
I disagree, if the cop said it, why leave it out? the cop is the one that looks like an a-hole for making this type of comments, that certainly damages more the image of the NYPD than the people in line.
At least they are not rob. They’re just need to make money to survive.
People are dying in the streets of NYC from hunger. They are trying to make money scalping consumer electronic devices. I call that greed.
I call that choosing NOT to die in the streets fro poverty.
probably one of the best investigative reports i’ve seen. i’ve see a lot of white people in line at the apple store by where i live. i’m starting to think that they were nazis. possibly the fourth reich rising! we need to get cameras down there, NOW!
I was surprised how many Chinese there were lining up for iPhone 6 in the Southgate mall in Edmonton, Canada. Now I fully understand the reason why. :/
Apple could fix this by banning physical lines. They could continue to offer their pre-orders – hopefully in larger volume, so that more people can have their phone on the first day.This could be easily achieved by nearly depleting all store/non-pre-order stock. Secondly, push in-store pickup. Maybe even offer iPhones as in-store pick-up only for the first day or week. Then push orders in-store for pick-up and home delivery on launch day for customers who walk in. They could hold back a percentage of stock for this exact purpose, keeping it at warehouses, allowing people to buy in-store and then delivering it to their homes (or the store) the next day. In the same way they handle the iTunes Festival, phones could be offered on lottery. Through an app, website and in-store people can put their info down for a chance to buy the phone. On launch day at 8am they could be given a code that allows them to go to a store and buy a phone. By requiring certain details about the person like age and gender they could mitigate the selling of these codes by requiring all details to match. Lastly, they could require all in-store sales for the first day or week to be set-up on contract. This would prevent people from turning around and selling phones to others. It seems that they like untraceable transactions; cash, in person, no details exchanged. All Apple has to do is start requiring these things, buy online for pickup/delivery, put your name into a lotto, or requiring in-store activations. Anyone who is buying a phone for themselves or a loved one will be more than willing to use these methods as they are convenient and easy – and often preferred when provided as one of many options.
In order to keep the hype and atmosphere of the stores on launch day they could hold parties or events at the store. Have live music, food and drink. Tutorials and instructions about new products. Have the keynote playing on Macs. Make it a place you’ll want to go and hang out. Not to mention if they are pre-selling all of their phones for pick-up there will be enough customers to keep staff busy as is.
Thats a lot. Apple just needs to use the existing in store pick up system exclusively for the first few weeks of launch.
Chinese grey market. Not so sure about mafia.
you bleeding heart, ass-wipes would be calling for any other company’s ass for this, but since it’s Apple driving this slave-behavior, you justify it. Bunch of hypocritical turds, go get a fkn job!
Huh, seems like the trolls aren’t even trying anymore. Kinda takes the fun out of laughing at them
How about you take your sorry ass out of here? Bloody trolls…
Very ignorant video and blatantly racist. First off, the title was originally posted as “iPhone 6 and the Chinese Mafia.” And then he quotes “The spirit of waiting to buy an iPhone has been ruined”???? And then he films a bunch of Chinese people? And then caption the video to be “disheartening.” Wtf? Check your white privilege. Because someone this big spreading this kind of subliminal racism because of materialism is the worst kind of person.
“Check your white privilege” is, coincidentally, the center square on the Indignation Bingo board
you are obviously only saying this because you are Chinese
I can be red, white, or blue and still won’t change what I said.
He films Chinese people, because there WERE Chinese people in the cue. Some got arrested, most stank from not showering and almost all were breaking the law by sleeping on the sidewalk. How exactly does this say anything good about Chinese people? Nothing and why should it? If thats how THEY are, then its a good documentary to show it.
As if whites, blacks, browns, and purples aren’t doing the same since day one
Dear Justin Cheng,
whites,blacks,browns and purples, could very well be doing the same thing since day 1, HOWEVER, they’re not the ones standing in the Apple cue and doing it, now are they?
Probably theres a few other people there, but look at the videos, its 99% Chinese.
How can you possibly be offended at all about this?
If the truth be known, then embrace it, don’t cower behind the ever-so-annoying “race card” and say its racism. It just makes you look weak and insecure.
99% Chinese? Because the film maker CHOSE to film Chinese folks to send a message.
For Seth to just go plastering the words “Chinese mafia” is pure irresponsible journalism. Unless you have proof that this is directly related to organized crime, your title is misleading and simply not true.
Call them immigrants, smelly, loitering people, greedy scalpers all you want, but calling them mafia? Come on.
The title of the movie contains “Chinese Mafia”
Yeah, but you chose to go with “seamy underbelly” as well.
so if everybody tell you to jump, you jump? you don’t have any journalistic integrity to think before you post statements that you think might be inaccurate?
Looks like the vast majority of the iPhones sold at these stores will go to China.
China is so polluted, yet so wealthy, the U.S. grows rice using valuable California water and exports it to China.
Valuable California water is used to grow alfalfa that’s exported to China to feed livestock.
The best seafood caught in U.S. waters is exported to China (and London, where the richest congregate).
Nothing wrong with that.
This is not a new phenomena. It’s been happening for years in/near cities across America. It’s why I no longer line up for iPhones, and have it delivered instead.
Apple needs to do something about this. Credit cards only on launch day would be a good start.
Day two can be scalper day.
Day 2 WAS scalper/reseller day.
It is a complex situation, but c’mon it is USA, not Brazil, I’m sure there is something that can be done.
apple could stop this by for the first week only calling people upgrading or switching carries which requires phone activation, this process not fair for the people who truly support apple
A really fabulous suggestion
It’s a great video, and really shows a small part of the level of crime in NYC. It’s not illegal, but it’s trafficking, laundering, whatever you want to call it. While Apple doesn’t have any say so, but they can sure tell their employees to watch for these people and make them wait, no matter how long they stand in line if they suspect anything. I’m not sure if Apple trains their employees for this, but they should if they don’t.
Apple should only sell to people upgrading, changing carriers, or opening a new line with a carrier for the first 2 weeks. Credit cards only. Racist video or not, it is clear that all those Asian people are immigrants, and probably not Apple fans. When the store opened, the employees were cheering and clapping, but no one in line was remotely happy, not even a smile.
The people in line may not be mafia themselves, but I wouldn’t doubt it if the Chinese mafia or any other criminal organization was involved. I mean, who really has THAT much cash to front hundreds of people to buy that many iPhones. Let’s just say 100 people were in line for iPhones, looked like most of them were buying 2 iPhones each. 100 x 2 x $649 = $129,800 in CASH. That does NOT include sales tax, plus whatever commission the people were receiving for waiting in line for 48+ hours. Also take into consideration that $649 is the cost for the entry model iPhone 6.
All you naysayers, you’re gonna tell me some form of crime organization is not involved? and that’s just at one store from what I see. No telling how many stores they had people waiting in line.
I work in a meder at store and this morning there were 30 resellers waiting. They came in with translators and wads of new 100 dollar bills to get 2 phones. Then they took the phones somewhere and came back for more. All day! No one who is buying for family out of the country spends the day doing that or arguing about having to get back in line. And then there is carrying thousands of dollars in new bills… This is the black market at work and I really wouldn’t be surprised to find organized crime behind it.
Apple should totally stop making and selling things that people want to pay above market prices for.
You know it’s not illegal for someone to buy a bunch of phones but what sucks is that Apple employees were there all night and saw many of us waiting. When I got in line there were 78 people in front of me. 13 hours later at 8am there was now 180 in front of me. When this was brought to the employees attention by many of us they wouldn’t do anything. So we waited. We were told that you could only buy 2 iPhones. That was fine as I only needed one. However we watched as people bought 5 or 7 and one even walked out with 20 iPhones in hand. All paid in cash. Obviously after waiting 13 hours I finally get my chance. Every iPhone in store was gone. Wasted all my time.
I’m sorry. We were told we couldn’t do anything.
Same exact thing happened to me. I got my reservation card after 5 hours of waiting and came back at 9pm only to find the store “closed” and iPhones gone. Lines were there the second day too, all full of asian people. Regular people couldnt even get an iphone because all the scalpers camped out overnight and brought their whole families with them.
The store CLOSES at 9.
This is a human phenomenon, making the rows by the emotion of the moment. It always happens at sporting events or concerts but what I suspect here is that there are fans and brands that hate people want both Apple, for whatever reason, the degree of lining up to get one of their products and could cause if not these situations, if these reports!
Where exactly is the “Chinese Mafia” connection? I get that this is an organized effort utilizing people willing to spend days in a line for a few bucks, but it’s not crime to organize that effort, is it?
100% Agree. Apple should stop allowing this walk ins to the store circus for the first new iPhones. Apple could easily sell them online, it would be thecivilized thing to do and then you avoid the cash issue too.
i am a chinese, and i do agree that this kind of action from them is annoying. But they choose to spend their time just queuing all night long or even a few days. I’m not saying that this will justify their action , but i don’t see that this action is anything close to be illegal . To me , what the cops did to the woman is kind of racist.
gotta love it when people pull the race card.
Im pulling the human being card. if you can’t speak english in the United States, and can’t answer a simple question like”How long have you been here” then you obviously have no idea what an iPhone 6 is.
Enough with this racial garbage, these chinese people are funding the black market. the Black market isn’t good for anyone. so enough.
and yes, isn’t it illegal to buy apple products in the US to ship them to another country? wasn’t that one of Apples key points in a press conference a few years ago.
the chinese people are basically slaves to whoever the hell they are taking orders from. Yes i pulled the Slave Card, you don’t have to be black to be a slave.
i see babies crying on the sidewalk. only parents who do that are parents who are FORCED too.
They are in the store all day. They are rude and crash the line. And who in the world carries thousands of dollars in new 100 bills?
Wow! China Mafia? How do you know? It is just the black market. It so happens that there is a huge demand in China now because of the delay in sales over there which is the largest market. It was amusing and great publicity to see all those people camping in front of the store with the first iPhone generations in years past but now is getting old and backfiring as a marketing stunt. These days iPhones have a good reputation so this is no longer needed. I suggest next time Apple should sell the new iPhones via the Internet for pick up at the store. However it was an interesting video to watch.
the looks on those faces tell a different story. they look like their life or the lives of families back home depend on them doing exactly what they are told.
Black Market deals with stolen goods or knockoffs. not like this, this is straight up Mafia style.
What I know is in China and Hong Kong this is very common. Should use online queuing and picks off method.
Many people make a quick buck by buying things and flipping them. People do it w/ homes, they do it w/ shoes and they do it w/ iPhones. Earlier today, I went to purchase limited edition shoes — only 200 made. It was sold out in minutes. And guess what? People bought them and resold them on ebay for $120 more, instantly.
Another example, was the PS4 and Xbox One. A lot of people bought and resold them. This video is no different. However, I do find the video title rather ridiculous.
The point I believe that some are trying to make, and what bothers a lot of Americans is not so much the aspect of reselling, but the fact that every country will receive the right to sell the iphone at its countries given time. And coming to the U.S., and taking product away from the American market, who currently has the right to buy the phone as we are entitled to is wrong. I understand for some, it puts food in your mouth, clothes on your back, and gives you some stability. But something that was once a joy to see and be a part of, has become something that feels tainted. When resellers come out in numbers equally 400 per store, and buy two phones a piece to take OUT of the country, I gotta say, it feels like a gyp. Because at the end of the day, I have the right to buy the phone, and I am the one using an American network, where these phones are shipped for that reason. They take from the american supply, then eventually get there OWN suppy, that no foreigners show up by the thousands to take from them. It’s the lack of care and respect that we as people get angry about. The difficulty we face while another foreign nation walks away with our product two phones at a time. 400 people per store x 2 iPhones per person is 800 phones. Now multiply that by the number of U.S. Stores, and the fact that most come back the next day to do it again, and you have a ballpark of how many phones were shipped to the U.S., only to be shipped back out. It’s messed up.
No. They don’t come back the next day. They store the 2 they got, get in line and get 2 more, store those and get 2 more. All with new 100 bills.
The way I look at it, a sale is a sale. There are no rules about who can wait on line and who can’t. Hey, if those people are getting paid to stand in line and buy iPhones, then good for them. They didn’t look they were getting rich from doing that. I’m sure it’s not all that much fun and I’ll bet they aren’t getting paid much. Ten bucks(?) an hour would be pretty good part-time money.
Wow what a racist A-Hole!
Is it any less “scalping” to offer these new phones on eBay for hugely inflated prices ?
I lined up here at a store in Brisbane, Australia for the 6 and 2 years ago for the 5. It was extremely different this time to last time, easily 95% where not from Australia and where buying 2 and flying home. All over the world it seems this was happening and the difference was that Apple launched the iPhone 5 in China the same day as everyone else, this time it wasn’t. The thing that made it the most annoying is local people that live here are the ones that miss out on the model they wanted. I spent 17 hours in the line to find out they didn’t have the 6+ left because the people at the beginning of the line purchased 2 of everything and they ran out in no time. I really don’t think Apple can actually do anything about it unless they restricted it to only people of that country, but that is discrimination and wouldn’t go down well. I think the only thing they need to do is get it approved for China for release on the same day as everyone else. Which is harder than it probably is. I don’t think I will line up again and I think that is sad, it used to be fun and I would meet new people, but Thursday night was a lonely night surrounded by people that didn’t speak a lick of english and were there just to buy the phone to off sell back overseas.
As someone who worked at the Apple Store around the launch of the iPhone 4, seeing shit like this is always disheartening. Having to turn away people who legitimately want the phone because people who can’t speak English come in, hand you a handwritten note saying what they want, then just stare and smile while they pay you in cash and then walk out and hand the devices off to someone waiting for them just sucks.
There really is nothing Apple can do, because its just (questionably) unethical, not illegal.
Nearly 100% Asians buying to resell at outrageous prices back in China. Beats working for a living!
So if I am Asian, I must be buying it to sell back to china, and not using it for my own consumption? How eloquently you have put together your sentences, and not generalizing the “Asians” as a race at all!!!
You sir must have won the internet 100 times per day! My hats off to you sir. Or maybe, should I kneel, and bow down to you?
How many time did you get in line yesterday with your 30 friends, an interpreter, and a wad of new 100 bills? To get 2 phones
I used the word Asian, but what I really meant was fvcking chinks! Just as I know there are good, and honest members of any race, chinks take the cake for being the most devious, and dishonest humanoids on the planet tantamount to the murderous radical islamic sand-n!ggers in your own way! It’s in your genes! Please feel free to knell and bow as much as you wish!
@ Bill, What does “You sir must have won the internet 100 times per day” mean? The internet is a communication portal, not the lottery! The rest of your post tells me you are educated in English enough to be articulate in most cases, but this comment makes no sense.
they always come into my store asking for a discount. Then return everything later without a receipt trying to get full price. Then you go to their stores. No discount. No returns.
what kind of store do you have Daniel?
and @throwthatham, why would I want to wait in line? I have my preorder of 1 phone, still waiting for delivery. So, nice try.
Although I do believe Asian people have very little morals in general and are always out for a quick buck with little regard to nature or human rights, but I feel to see how this is “wrong” or illegal?
Greedy and ugly people waiting in line to buy a product on launch day. Nothing wrong with that.
oops, I meant to say “….but I FAIL to see how this is “wrong”…..”
Who said anything about legal! This is about being moral, which a significant % of their population isn’t! Not like americans are much better when it comes to morality, but the asians certainly take the gold in this arena!
Its not legal to sleep on the streets waiting for a phone.
You know, thinkman12345, I do believe that you’re racist.
But being a racist is ok in my book, because its also honest and no-one MUST love another race.
Calling Asians “fuvking chinks” is perhaps a little less eloquent a way than I would personally have put it, but I can share the same emotions of anger/frustration/disgust at many many many Asian people and what they’re doing to/on our planet.
These videos provoke the person inside me that is trying desperately not to be a racist either, but sometimes that side of me wins over good reasoning and I get very angry at these Asians. I don’t want to call them gooks or chinks or chongs or rice-fuckers e.t.c. as I have you to do that for me and that made me literally laugh and clap out loud when I read it :)
Thank goodness I’m not the only sane person here to also have these opinions about Asians in general.
(Although there are literally millions upon millions of fine and decent Asians too, but these videos show the trash of society – and these ones standing in cue have no shame at all. Forgot about that adjective earlier.)
Why don’t you complainers wait your ass in line. Oh yeah, you are too lazy.
We have jobs thats why.
Creepy
I waited in line for 18 hours in Manhattan Beach for my iPhone 6. When I arrived there were a lot of Chinese people in line and it was a first for me since I didn’t see that many for the iPhone 5s launch. I would assume maybe 15 were in line in front of me. When I woke up at 4 am, that number multiplied and there were about 50 Chinese buyers in front of me. It was ridiculous, especially since where we camped out, it was off site due to the fact camp outs are not allowed at this mall. As a result they started cutting all over the place and when asked how many iPhones they were getting two, and specifically (2) iPhone 6 Plus’s. This year was absolutely crazy and was nothing I ever experienced before in a camp out for an iPhone.
I don’t think most of these phones will be delivered to China. Only the sprint international version is compatible with the 4G network of Chinese carriers, and that one must be a locked device. I believe most of them will go ebay for resell. Many of them cannot legally work at the U.S. The launch of iPhone is a great chance for them to earn some bread.
Being a Chinese international student at the U.S. I feel shamed by this. However, every society has a large group of seamy underbelly. At least the Chinese will not put out a gun at your head and rob/rape/kill you.
No, the Chinese will not put out a gun at your head and rob/rape you, the Chinese government will do that for you. We all know the huge violation of human rights that exist in China and organ harvesting from prisoners. So its not even comparable.
@ dragon…, As far as I know, Asians will not rob or rape us (too wimpy for that), but much more deviously, you will continue to sell us tainted (from which I almost died) pharmaceuticals, Poisoned food for our pets (and most likely US as well), Lead based painted toys for our children, etc. So, yes you are trying to kill us. Personally I stopped putting anything in or on my body made in China! Plus I go out of my way to not buy Anything made in China or, even worse, Korea! You are truly, gypsies, tramps and thieves!
They are ALL headed there.
I’m just glad, that the people who were sleeping weren’t black or else they would probably be dead. Which is actually Ironic if you think about it, strange people hop the white house fence breaching security and no one gets shot, but let one lone black male get into an altercation with the police he’s dead. Does anyone know if these people are Chinese Communist nationals?
They can go back to 1 per person, NO cash sales, you must have an active account that is upgradeable.
what’s illegal about this? this is crazy. Apple is probably behind this as it negatively impacts their store image
Do you even read what you write before posting, or does your prefrontal lobotomy keep you from doing so. “Apple is probably behind this as it negatively impacts their store image” makes as much sense as saying a mother killed her child because she loved it too much!
Honestly the best way to deal with this in my opinion is to do in store pickup that way everyone is guaranteed an iphone.
Aplple can do some things to help eliminate this…by doing only a online release. Simply do not offer the iPhone until the majority of the masses have already got the phone via online release.
I’am no image consultant… but the solution to this is very simple. I would have online sales ONLY, and the option to pick it up at the store of your choice the day of by appointment, or ship to your door within 3 days of the store release. No lines, no trades, no sketchy side deals on the street.
Like your suggestion, but Asians would find a way around this. They are unscrupulous!
it wouldn’t matter to apple, they already made the money. PPL just pissed because they couldn’t get one. I’m just smart enough to get an Android instead of the crapple.
“Smart” and Android, do not belong in the same sentence.
Ummm no. The phones the scalpers can’t sell they all stand in line with hundreds of bags of iPhones in them and people looking for a return and refund.
I cruised by the Marlton (NJ) Apple store yesterday in the early afternoon – and saw a very similar situation – though most of the people who made up the line did not look like they didn’t belong there. But, by a factor of about 85%, the line was made up of Asian people.
Marlton is in the middle of a mostly upper middle class population and I’m not aware of a large Asian population. Just saying.
Apple want money, Chinese have money, clear like water.
No one is mentioning the elephant in the room…. if that woman had been black she probably would’ve been shot for resisting arrest.
What a trash article! I don’t care who you are, where you come from, or what you do with that iPhone you just purchased! It is your right in the USA to do what you want. What I am seeing in these comments are a bunch of racist, whiners that did are pissed the did not have the stamina to wait in line to make some cash, and lash out at these poor people. This article should be removed!
According to the Chinese government officials, the imports of these iPhones are in fact illegal. Grandma is breaking the Chinese laws.
If you invest in aapl, the elimination/prevention of iPhone black market makes sense. These shady line sitters may seem like a inconvenience for rabid first adopters but it can make a serious dent in Apple’s bottom line. Just think, a person that is sitting in line for the Chinese mafia not only prevents a sale to an American but also takes the place of a sale in China. Apple has now lost 2 customers.
http://forums.appleinsider.com/t/182455/as-iphone-6-units-are-smuggled-through-twinkie-boxes-chinese-government-says-regulatory-approval-coming-soon#post_2603963
For those who thought shipping iPhones designated for other countries back to china, ITs NOT!
For those who thought shipping iPhones designated for other countries back to China was legal, Its not legal.
Chris, the question here has not been about smuggling or shipping overseas, phones that were bought in USA.
The gripes we’ve had and about the “legality” was the scamping and reselling just moments after purchase, on the streets in USA.
There is a difference.
I sat in one of these lines the other day in Nashua, NH. A couple hundred people and every one of them was buying for resale. All working for one lady!. Some of the comments to this article say the scalpers have every right to be there buying a phone also…just get there before them. I agree that they have a right to buy the phone as well and do what they want with it…but it is impossible to get there early to get there before them. In Nashua the line is managed by the same group that is buying the phones. Two or three “bosses” make those in line back up so their people who are mobbed in front can cut and squeeze into the line. This was all done before the Apple guys even arrived at work. Only one cop on duty and he let them do whatever they wanted. All the transactions of instructing the people what model to buy to even handing out the gift cards to the group in line was done in plain sight of the cop as well as the Apple employees when they arrived at 7am. So this daily occurrence is clearly the norm and accepted at this location. (tax free).