Apple to Launch China Sales of iPhone 6 on Oct. 17

Apple said Tuesday that its new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will be available in China, after delays, beginning Oct. 17.

Pre-orders from the Apple online store will start on Friday, Oct. 10.

“We are thrilled to bring iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus to our customers in China on all three carriers at launch,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook. “iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus customers will have access to high-speed mobile networks from China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom for an incredible experience.”

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The news means the devices will hit the Chinese market, the largest smartphone market in the world, about a month after they became available in the U.S. and other countries.

China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued network access licenses to the new Apple phones after the tech giant addressed privacy risks raised in a government agency’s safety test, the Wall Street Journal reported. The ministry’s concerns included software that it argued could be used by third parties to access user data.

Analysts have lauded the strong early sales trends for the new iPhones, including a company record for sales over the first weekend.

Email: Georg.Szalai@THR.com
Twitter: @georgszalai

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