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Beijing - Apple said on Friday it was suspending sales of the iPhone 4S in its China stores, after fans desperate to get their hands on the new device fought with a security guard and threw eggs at an official store.
"The demand for iPhone 4S has been incredible, and our stores in China have already sold out," company spokesperson Carolyn Wu said.
"Unfortunately we were unable to open our store at Sanlitun (in Beijing) due to the large crowd, and to ensure the safety of our customers and employees, iPhones will not be available in our retail stores in Beijing and Shanghai for the time being."
Apple said the move would only affect its official stores, which are in Beijing and Shanghai, and customers could still order iPhones online and at authorised retailers in China.
Police detained at least two people outside the Beijing store on Friday morning after angry crowds who had queued in freezing temperatures scuffled with security and demanded that staff open the doors.
Die-hard fans in China, which has the world's largest online population with more than 500 million users, have been known to line up for days to get their hands on the latest Apple products.
The California-based company has recently expanded aggressively in China, opening its first store in Hong Kong and its third in Shanghai last September, which brings the total to six in Greater China.
But Apple's popularity has also brought problems, with widespread counterfeiting and illegal smuggling of its products.
