China iPhone frenzy ends in punch-up

A frenzied rush to buy Apple's new iPhone in Beijing forced staff to close the store after a fight broke out between a customer and a sales assistant.

Witness Wang Ming said the scuffle was between a "foreign" Apple worker and a Chinese customer over the latest white-coloured iPhone.

The company said the store "was closed for several hours on Saturday after a group outside the store became unruly."

"The store team acted to protect themselves and our customers by closing the doors and preventing the group from entering," it said. "The safety of our customers and employees is our top priority."

Some Chinese news websites said three or four customers were injured. Mr Wang said he had walked out of the store and was passing by the scuffle when a bottle hit his head, causing a gash.

Demand for the iPhone and iPad in China has been high. There have been problems in the past of touts buying up iPhones to resell at higher prices.