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With the release date of Apple Inc’s iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus still unconfirmed in China, buyers from the world’s largest smartphone market have been finding other means of procuring the much anticipated devices. It’s reported that Chinese resellers snatched up pre-order iPhones within hours on Apple’s Hong Kong website, hoping to sell the phones in China for as much as four times the retail price.

According to reports by Twitter users, buyers from China have also made their way to Japan with the goal of smuggling the iPhones back into China for resale. At the Ginza Apple Store, it’s estimated that as much as 90 percent of the more than 400 people waiting in line to buy an iPhone 6 are Chinese.

Here’s what the line in front of the Ginza Apple Store looked like at 7pm local time. Twitter user @xxxprius estimates that over 400 people are waiting for the iPhone 6:

At 9:00pm local time, Twitter user @taosama wrote that a local news station measured the line to be 510 meters (1,673 feet) long; that’s well over a quarter of a mile!

Another tweeter @app_taylor confirms an unusual amount of Chinese buyers, identified by their ability to speak Chinese.

Of course, these are not official reports, just observations by Twitter users, but the length of the line, clearly visible in the photos, and alleged large amount of Chinese patrons waiting to purchase the iPhone 6 is impressive.

The iPhone 6 is getting closer to becoming available in China, as Reuters reported Thursday Apple has one of the two required licenses to begin sales, but for now it seems Chinese consumers will have to pay a premium price if they want to be one of the first in the country to have Apple’s latest gadget.

Source: Hachima Kikou, Itai News
Featured image: Twitter (xxxprius)