iPhone 6: Violence Erupts in Queues for Apple's Latest Smartphones in US and Europe

The delay in launching the iPhone 6 in China has led customers to turn to violence outside an Apple stores across the globe.

The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus sold over 10 million units in in just three days and this unprecedented demand, coupled with a lack of availability in the key Chinese market has led to fights breaking out outside Apple Stores in the US and Europe.

Rival gangs of buyers from New York were involved in a fistfight outside Apple's retail store near Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut with three people being arrested.

More than a dozen people were involved in the fight as they tried to secure a place in the queue for one of the iPhone 6 smartphones.

The police said the gangs had made the two-hour trip from New York to buy the iPhone 6 (£539, $863) and iPhone 6 Plus (£619, $990) in order to sell them on the Chinese market, where the latest iPhones are yet to go on sale.

300% markup

In an interview with Bloomberg, police spokesman David Hartman said: "It's our understanding that the markup on these phones when they're resold in China can be upwards of 300%. For the most part, the dozens and hundreds of people who are waiting in line are just doing that."

Elsewhere, in Paris, police restrained a man at an Apple store with one witness telling the Mirror:

"The store was very disorganised, they had not expected so many customers. Once the doors to the shopping centre was opened, people ran towards the shop and Apple staff had to call the police."

There were also fights reported at the Apple store on the Upper West Side in New York while the police were called to control the customers outside a shopping centre.

Ahead of the 19 September release of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in 10 countries, people queued up for weeks in order to secure their orders.

Lucrative market

While Apple likes to portray this as an indication of how eager its loyal customers are to get their hands on the latest devices, the truth is that the vast majority of those queuing are looking to buy the smartphones in order to sell them on at a profit.

The most lucrative market for iPhones is China, where people are willing to pay way above the asking price to secure an iPhone 6 as soon as possible. According to one report, as many as five million iPhone 6 smartphones will be shipped to China before they officially go on sale there.

China is quickly becoming one of the most important markets for Apple with the company earlier this year finally securing a deal to sell its iPhones through the world's biggest network, China Mobile.

However since the unveiling of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus on 9 September, the launch date of Apple's latest smartphones in China has remained a mystery.

According to a report by Tencent on Tuesday, quoting a top Chinese government regulator, the iPhone 6 is in the final stages of review for approval however no specific date for the launch of the new phones has been given.