Apple unveiled the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus devices last month, and these handsets have been slotted for an official release in China starting Oct. 17. According to the tech giant, the latest models of the iPhone series are set to go on sale in the said country through the Apple Online Store as well as via authorized retailers and mobile carriers.
Apple has announced that pre-orders can be made for the new iPhones through its official online store starting Oct. 10, whereas reservations for the said handsets can be made for in-store purchases after one week.
The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will be providing access to 4G LTE networks since the smartphones are capable of supporting TD-LTE and FDD-LTE technologies. This will also be supported by a number of major mobile carriers, including China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom within mainland China.
Apple made the announcement that the phones would be available for sale in the said country after China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) approved both the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. The company acknowledged the recent privacy concerns relating to their latest offerings, and assured Chinese authorities that users' privacy will not be comprised with the improved security features.
Last July, Apple had been accused by Chinese state media of sharing users' information to U.S. agencies, which was deemed as highly punishable. In response, the company emphasized that backdoors for government agencies in the U.S. have not been installed in their devices.
"Apple is coming under greater scrutiny on personal data security from the government," Shaun Rein, managing director for Shanghai's China Market Research Group, said in an official statement for Bloomberg. "This is definitely starting to affect consumers and some are thinking twice about buying Apple now because the government has made them nervous."
The iPhone 6 will be available for purchase in China with various price tags depending on its storage option, as reported by IB Times. The 16GB version will be sold for $861, the 64GB for $991, and the 128GB for $1,122. Meanwhile, the iPhone 6 Plus will retail for $991 (16GB), $1,121 (64GB) and $1,268 (128GB).
