No iPhone 4S Hong Kong launch yet: Try telling these poor folks

We often inform you about the wierd and wonderful stories that surface from Asia’s shores from time to time, but this latest story is rather mind boggling whilst at the same time, slightly amusing we’re ashamed to admit.

You know how Apple announced the new iPhone 4S in 29 countries but failed to include both Hong Kong and China on the availability list on either October 14th or October 28th? Well apparently some folks over in Hong Kong, we’re guessing a mixture of mainland Chinese too, have apparently been duped into thinking that the iPhone 4S will arrive this Friday along with the US and UK launches of the device.

We discovered that a website online has published a few photos claiming to show a group of eager shoppers in queuing up in anticipation for the device, with one image in particular suggesting that things are far from civilized as everyone clings on to the assumption that the Apple Store located in Hong Kong’s IFC Mall will open their doors the next morning and take iPhone 4S orders.

Little do they know however, that there is definitely no Hong Kong launch for the iPhone 4S as of yet, as we even phoned up the IFC Apple Store this morning to find out what was going on. The Apple sales lady we spoke to told us that there is ”no official information on the iPhone 4S” at the moment, and confirmed that there was indeed a large gathering outside the store during the previous evening.

Could this be narrowed down to an unfortunate case of Chinese whispers perhaps? These shoppers surely wouldn’t be queuing outside the Apple store overnight for the iPhone 4 since it’s easily available on a selection of networks, so did they just forget to read Apple’s guidelines at their event in which the company revealed that HK and China isn’t on the list yet?

[Apple's HK store located at the IFC Mall]

We’ll try and find more information on this story for you, but in the meantime give us your thoughts on this. More importantly perhaps: How would you feel if you queued up overnight for nothing?