Beijing Telecom, a subsidiary of China Telecom, has announced that they're aiming to release the iPhone 4S by the beginning of March, and that the final regulatory certifications just made it through on Monday. As you might guess,  iPhone launches in the area can get a little crazy, but with wider carrier availability, maybe the congestion and panic will let up a bit. Currently, the iPhone 4S is only available on China Unicom, though there have been hints that China Mobile will enjoy the next-gen iPhone.

It's interesting to hear more about the retail side of the iPhone in China, since the vast majority of news from that corner of the world revolves around Apple's manufacturing partner, Foxconn.  I'm sure by this point, Apple's retail presence isn't sullied by knock-off stores anymore, even though there's still plenty of copycat devices floating around.

There's no pricing information available for the CDMA-based iPhone 4S on China Telecom, but something tells me a steep pricetag won't deter the locals from snatching 'em up.

Source: China Daily

Apple has postponed selling the latest iPhone 4S in some stores in mainland China after crowd disturbances spoilt its launch day. The main trouble appeared outside of the Apple Store in Sanlitun Beijing.

Would-be customers, many of whom had waited over night in the freezing cold to be among the first to purchase the latest iPhone, became so unruly when the store failed to open its doors on-time that Apple was forced to cancel first-day sales there. And rather than risk a repeat of the incident — which ended in profanity, egg-throwing and a few scuffles, the company has decided not to sell the 4S at any of its retail stores in Beijing and Shanghai. Instead, it will sell the device through its Web site and carrier partners.

Source: All Things D, Image: MIC Gadgets

Not going to classify this as humor, given how much an unlocked iPhone goes for in Taiwan or Hong Kong (still no official carrier in China yet!). Poor guy, but hopefully a cautionary tail for subway iBowlers everywhere. (via Gizmodo)