Customs officials in Shenzhen, a southern Chinese city just across the border from Hong Kong, recently caught 14 housewives trying to carry 88 iPads and 340 mobile phones into China, in a bust worth 950,000 yuan, or roughly $143,000, the Guangzhou Daily reports — and as noted by “The Wall Street Journal” (http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2010/12/08/china-detains-ipad-smuggling-housewives/?mod=yahoo_hs).
One woman had 65 mobile phones strapped around her waist and over 20 more in a handbag, according to the newspaper. Apple already sells the Wi-Fi version of the iPad in China, but the 3G version isn’t available yet on the mainland. Buyers who want 3G-capable iPads must get the device from overseas — fueling demand for mules to carry the tablets from Hong Kong to China, says the “Wall Street Journal.”