China: With signs of strong orders, Apple delays high-end iPhone 15 models

Those in China who want to purchase Apple's new iPhone 15 Pro Max may have to wait for 4-5 weeks before they get the smartphone, revealed company website on Friday (September 15). Apple has started taking pre-orders and there are early signs of strong demand.

If a buyer wants to buy iPhone 15 Pro, the wait is slightly shorter at 2-3 weeks. The company said previously that it could deliver iPhone 15 by September 22, the day the phone goes on sale in stores.

For iPhone 15 Plus, the wait in China is of 8 working days.

Reuters reported that more than 3.4 million reservations were placed on JD.com in all for the four models.

Watch | Apple's iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max support ISRO's navigation tech

Ivan Lam, senior analyst at Counterpoint was quotedby Reuters as saying that it was reasonable to expect these volumes on JD.com as it is one of Apple's biggest sale channels in China.

"Since the decline of Huawei, the iPhone has been able to attract a massive number of consumers in the more than $600 segment. The new iPhone 15 series, especially the Pro series, will be a good choice for the installed base who are using iPhone 11/12 and looking for an update replacement," he said.

"However, there's no doubt that the new Mate 60 series will be a challenge to the iPhone this year."

For iPhone, China is its third largest market. Performance of iPhone 15 is going to be closely watched especially after former rival Huawei's launch of new smartphone late last month. The smartphone comes with an advanced chip.

Huawei could make a comeback with its Mate 60 series, according to analysts. The Chinese tech firm was once the world's biggest smartphone maker but US export controls decimated its business.

Last week, the Chinese state media reported that better-than-expected sales of Mate 60 series has led Huawei to up its second-half shipment targets by 20 per cent. It's forecast for overall new smartphone shipments in 2023 is at least 40 million units.

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE