Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) postponed the launch of its new iPhone Air in mainland China due to pending regulatory approval.
When pre-orders opened on Friday, Apple's China website blocked customers from ordering the slimmer device and displayed a notice stating release details would follow once they win approval.
Apple had originally scheduled China's rollout for September 12 pre-orders and September 19 general availability, aligning with U.S. and global launches, Bloomberg reported on Friday.
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The iPhone Air's debut faces extra hurdles in China, where most users still rely on physical SIM cards. Because the thinner model uses eSIM, Apple announced that only China Unicom would initially support the device, requiring customers to activate service in-store.
Apple's website noted that China Mobile and China Telecom will eventually offer compatibility. Meanwhile, other iPhone 17 models with physical SIM options launched in China on schedule.
Apart from regulatory hurdles, Apple is also facing challenges from domestic smartphone rivals in China.
Prior reports indicated Huawei is set to outpace Apple in China's smartphone market in the second quarter of 2025, fueled by loyal users upgrading to new models. Xiaomi (OTC:XIACY) is intensifying its rivalry with its budget smartphone 15S Pro, boasting performance advantages over Apple's A18 Pro and benefiting from subsidies.
Apple raised trade-in values to defend its position and plans to integrate Alibaba's (NYSE:BABA) Qwen3 AI into devices.
Apple stock lost over 8% year-to-date, trailing the NASDAQ Composite Index’s over 14% returns. Analysts praised Apple's iPhone 17 launch for slimmer designs, upgraded cameras, and stronger AI-health features, but warned of limits to growth. Bank of America's Wamsi Mohan, Rosenblatt's Barton Crockett, and Goldman Sachs' Michael Ng all said Apple still lags Samsung (OTC:SSNLF) and Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Google in AI, with innovation seen as incremental and demand driven mainly by replacements rather than a true supercycle.
AAPL Price Action: Apple shares were up 1.06% at $232.46 at the time of publication on Friday. The stock is trading within its 52-week range of $169.21 to $260.10, according to Benzinga Pro data.
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