Pre-order sales of Apple’s new iPhone 17 series have got off to a robust start in China, shattering previous records despite delays in the shipment of the iPhone Air.
In the first minute after pre-orders began at 8pm Friday local time, sales on JD.com – one of China’s largest online shopping platforms – surpassed the first-day pre-order volume of last year’s iPhone 16 series, according to the e-commerce operator. The standard iPhone 17 with 256GB of storage emerged as the most popular variant, JD.com said.
Those numbers excluded the iPhone Air, the company’s thinnest model ever, as its release has been postponed while Apple works with Chinese authorities to resolve regulatory issues over the use of an embedded SIM.
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Amid overwhelming demand for the iPhone 17 series, customers reported difficulties accessing the pre-order page on Apple’s website, according to a report on Friday from Chinese media outlet The Paper.
A billboard featuring JD.com’s logo in Beijing. Photo; Reuters alt=A billboard featuring JD.com’s logo in Beijing. Photo; Reuters>
One customer, who successfully secured a new handset for delivery on the September 19 launch date, said it took five minutes for the site to process payments. All time slots for picking up the iPhone 17 Pro Max in person at launch from Apple outlets in Shanghai were booked within 20 minutes.
As of Saturday morning, anyone in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, looking to buy any variant of the iPhone 17 series faced a waiting period extending to October 15, Apple’s website showed.
The high demand underscores Apple’s strong brand loyalty in China and the appeal of the latest generation of iPhones, despite growing competition in the premium smartphone segment from local competitors like Huawei Technologies, according to analysts.
“Apple has astutely segmented its product line-up, ensuring each model appeals to distinct user needs,” said Nabila Popal, senior research director at market research firm IDC. “Collectively, these devices will drive a robust wave of new purchases for the company.”
Earlier this month, consultancy TrendForce projected that global shipments of the iPhone 17 series would be 3.5 per cent higher than those of last year’s iPhone 16 line-up, with the Pro series remaining the primary sales driver.