Last week we blogged about the launch of the iPad and this weekend the much anticipated iPhone4 hits stores in mainland China. Expect long lines and big crowds buying on the release date this Saturday, September 25. To add to the buzz, Beijing has a whole new Apple Store opening the same day in Xidan’s Joy City.

It didn’t take long for the iPhone 4, released last Thursday in many countries around the world, to hit China’s grey market. The phone has slowly trickled into the country, and a limited number of units are available for purchase at Zhongguancun, although you’ll pay a hefty premium.  But if you’re looking to buy a “legitimate” one, you might want to wait and save some money. According to the Wall Street Journal, China Unicom is in talks with Apple to launch the new flagship phone and the iPad as early as September.

There’s a reason China is one of Apple’s fastest-growing markets. Apple news in China spreads fast and makes headlines, especially anything concerning Steve Jobs or upcoming iPhone releases. Recently, China has even been making headlines of their own with Apple stories that hit closer to home.

Almost since the day it was launched in mainland China in September 2010, the iPhone 4 has been virtually impossible to buy directly from the official Apple stores in Sanlitun Village and Xidan. I know this. Having destroyed my previous mobile in a "water" accident in early September, I'd purchased a cheap Nokia to tide me by until the iPhone 4 came out. RMB 5,000 was definitely a lot of money, but - I told myself - it was an "investment."

This week Apple launched both a Chinese online store and app store. Sounds great! But, as many of our previous posts indicate, Apple and China mix as well as oil and water. Apple’s app store is accessible if you have the proper credit cards and the online store has already been brought down by scalpers in less than a day.