Apple opened its first retail store in China on Saturday morning.

Over 400 Apple enthusiasts lined up, some since Friday night, to be among the first customers inside the Beijing store. It's located in the Sanlitun [ph:SAHN LEE TWUN] entertainment district, which is about 6 kilometers northeast of Tiananmen Square, inside a new shopping complex.

For Apple's users in China, the opening was the end of a wait that began when Apple first launched dedicated retail stores in 2001. Those users face higher prices than their overseas counterparts. Some items, such as the iPod touch's 32G byte model, sell for 30 percent more than in the U.S. One of the things that visitors won't find is the iPhone -- it's not yet available in China but talks are understood to be ongoing with a local carrier.

With reporting by Steven Schwankert in Beijing, this is Martyn Williams, IDG News Service.