On Friday, Apple scored a big hit with a small device as the iPad mini arrived inside of the world’s largest mobile community.
This morning, the iPad mini went on sale in China. But despite huge consumer demand, the usage of an online lottery system as a means to peacefully and orderly get iPad minis into the hands of buyers helped prevent chaos outside of Apple retail stores.
Well, almost.
Scalpers were out in full force today, according to the Wall Street Journal. And it got ugly in some cases.
On Friday morning, Apple’s Sanlitun store opened to no crowds, but a large group of scalpers was standing a hop and skip from the store entrance collecting iPad Minis from Chinese customers in exchange for cash. Behind them, on a nearby bench, sat tall stacks of the devices.
The report goes on to note that one group of scalpers surrounded a Wall Street Journal reporter on location. Scalpers blasted the individual, claiming that his media presence represented “an invasion of their privacy.”
“After the reporter pointed out that they were conducting business in a public place,” the article continues, the scalpers went on “to kick, swat and push him as Apple and mall security stood by.”
For now, it isn’t clear just how many iPad minis made it to scalpers today. But from the looks of it, scalpers unfortunately did a little too well for themselves, likely at the expense of others.
