Apple has long been courting the Chinese market, seeing its potential for lucrative business in the smartphone space, but the proverbial “spanner in the works” has struck, as the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus’ release date in China appears to have gotten delayed due to regulatory snafu.
Earlier today, Apple made it official, informing China’s three largest mobile carriers that it will not be offering the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus on September 19. That release date will still push forward in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, and other major markets, but China, which was not included on the initial list of release markets during the iPhone 6’s Tuesday launch, won’t be getting the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus on the 19th as many had previously expected.
This comes as a big blow to Chinese carriers and consumers alike; for the carriers, this comes at the worst possible time, as these carriers have all been launching their own advertising initiatives for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, with one carrier going as far as accepting pre-orders a few days ahead of the launch. For consumers, who had, all along, been expecting a September 19 iPhone 6 release date, this could mean an indefinite wait as Apple awaits approval from Chinese regulatory boards, particularly the Ministry for Industry and Information Technology.
At the present, it is not clear why the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6’s release date has been pushed back in China, as a China Telecom sales manager told The New York Times, quite succinctly, that “there are some details which are not ready.” Apple has declined to comment on the matter, same with representatives from China Telecom, China Unicom, and China Mobile.