Considered as the hottest news of this September might be the launch of iPhone 6 in several major countries. Though, China won’t be amongst them. However, the basis for its keeping out is a bit of a mystery yet.
As per the official reports, the main setback may lie with the Chinese government. According to the New York Times, Apple’s newest iPhone allegedly has not yet received the needed government approval from the China. In particular, China’s Ministry for Industry and Information Technology must give the thumbs up for such devices as smart phones, but there is no approval for the iPhone 6 showed on the ministry’s website as of Wednesday, the Times noted.
Undoubtedly, China turns out to be an ever more profitable market, when it comes to mobile device makers as it provides hundreds of millions of potential customers. Later in 2011, China ranked 1st amongst US to become the world’s largest smartphone market. In fact, Apple has deals with all three of China’s major carriers including China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telcom as long as a considerable source of sales. According to Bloomberg, Apple sold a record number of iPhone 5S units in China during last year’s fourth quarter, while the country in general accounted for 16% of Apple’s $37.4 billion in sales last quarter.
As compared to this year, last year, China was amid the list of countries that received the iPhone 5S and 5C for launch weekend. That’s why this year’s holdup surprises everyone out there. Just blaming the government for the lack of approval is not actually the case, but the move seemed to grasp Chinese Apple workers and mobile carriers off guard, the Times reported.
One source told the Times, the Apple’s stores in Beijing and Shanghai had previously been prepping iPhone 6 sales to start on September 19. One of the sales managers at China Telecom told the Times that “Apple completely let us down without prior notice.” That same manager quoted Apple representatives who allegedly tried to clarify the holdup by saying that “there are some details which are not ready.”
It has been predicted that China’s association with US technology companies can be unstable. Recently, in the month of July, a researcher claims the iPhone on state-run TV, calling the smartphone a national security risk that can gather data from its users, potentially revealing state secrets. In response, the Apple was forced by saying that it does not collect any such data.
JP Morgan analyst Rod Hall told the Times in an investors note released on Thursday, “report rings true given the Chinese government’s recent interest in controlling phone marketing costs/subsidies. No doubt, Apple did face tough time trying to hit a deal with China Mobile to carry the iPhone allegedly because the country’s largest carrier balked at the heavy subsidies demanded. Hall further told that he doesn’t believe the delay would not be extended but added that “nothing is certain with the Chinese government.”
From September 19th, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will be available in the US, UK, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, and Singapore. Apple further planned to launch the latest iPhones among other 115 different countries by the end of this year.
