Apple delays release of new iPhone Air in mainland China
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Apple delayed the launch of its iPhone Air in mainland China, citing regulatory approval issues, in a setback for a high-profile new product.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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San Francisco – Apple delayed the launch of its iPhone Air in mainland China, citing regulatory approval issues, in a setback for a high-profile new product.
When pre-orders for the new models began on Sept 12, the company’s China website would not let customers in the region order the new, thinner device. Instead, a message reads: “Release information will be updated later. All models will be released after approval.”
The iPhone maker previously said that the new product would become available in the region on Sept 12 for pre-order and on Sept 19 for general availability, matching the United States and other major markets.
A spokesperson said the company is “working closely with regulators to make it available in China as quickly as possible” and that it will “begin taking orders for iPhone Air as soon as we can”.
Launching the iPhone Air in China is far more complex than it is elsewhere. Unlike the US, China is mostly reliant on physical SIM cards and hasn’t widely adopted eSIM technology, which the iPhone Air uses because of its thinner frame.
When the iPhone Air was announced, Apple said the device would initially only be available through a single Chinese carrier – China Unicom – and would require users to visit a physical carrier store to activate their eSIM and start using the handset.
The company’s website has also added that other carriers like China Mobile and China Telecom would eventually support the iPhone Air and eSIM. Apple’s other new iPhones – the iPhone 17, 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max – launched as planned in the region and include physical SIM cards locally.
Separately, in the US, home deliveries for some iPhone 17 Pro Max models slipped to a window of Oct 6 to Oct 13, potentially indicating strong initial demand for the device.
New orders now arriving later include the 17 Pro Max in both silver and orange in all storage capacities, as well as some blue iPhone 17 Pro Max configurations.
The iPhone Air, the smaller 17 Pro and the standard iPhone 17 did not show any substantial US delays hours after pre-orders opened, though the cloud white Air model is now arriving between the end of September and early October. BLOOMBERG
