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Apple Finally Gives Up on Trying to Prevent Asians from Buying iPads

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Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

A few months ago, Apple was accused of racial profiling—preventing Asian and Asian-American shoppers from buying iPads.

"One person was asked why they wanted one since their English was not so good," Queens county assemblywoman Grace Meng told the NY Daily News. A 33-year old Asian male who lives in New York told the reporter that employees at Apple's SoHo location told him that iPads were sold out—but the customer was able to buy one after asking for help from an employee of Asian descent.
Though Apple denied the charge, stories were rampant—and the speculation was that the company wanted to prevent resales of the gadget in Asia.

Well, Apple has finally decided to stop trying to prevent Asian people from shopping—something we could have told them was an exercise in futility to start with—and released the iPad in China. Check out Chinese iPad customer #1, above, and note his super-awesome shirt.
· An Apple superfan's "Rudy" moment [Gawker]
· Apple's racial profiling [Racked]