Phil Schiller, Senior Vice President at Apple, Inc. speaks about the iPhone 6 during an Apple event at the Flint Center in Cupertino, California, September 9, 2014.
Phil Schiller, Senior Vice President at Apple, Inc. speaks about the iPhone 6 during an Apple event at the Flint Center in Cupertino, California, September 9, 2014. REUTERS/Stephen Lam

Apple iPhone 6 sales figures can potentially go up as the company finally gets access to the Chinese market. According to recent reports, regulatory constraints hindering Apple previously from distributing in China have now been lifted. The iPhone 6 flagship series is set to go on sale this October 17.

The question is now whether Apple can replicate its sales success in the U.S. to China. According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple won the approval of regulators finally following issues with the security features of the device. China has been very particular about privacy and what tech gadgets can do to the country.

The release of the iPhone 6 in China will be around a month following the sale of the device in the U.S. and other nations. China counts as the biggest smartphone market to date. However, the smartphone industry in the country proves to be a tough arena for many tech manufacturers due to competition. Samsung has been losing ground to homegrown players like Xiaomi.

The Chinese state media previously accused Apple of offering user data to government agencies last July. This generated calls for 'severe punishment' according to Reuters. Apple released a statement saying that its products and services do not have backdoors.

Apple's iPhone 6 notice of approval can be considered as the first from the ministry. The organization has not released such notice to a specific smartphone before. Reuters cited MIIT declaring "rigorous security testing" on the product. The unit also talked with Apple about the issue. The company offered supporting documents to address the potential security concerns.

Analysts posted high expectations on the performance of the iPhone 6 in China. Some pointed out the 1.27 billion potential subscribers. Whichever tech company taps the market properly can reap incremental benefits. Reuters also noted that Chinese consumers predominantly prefer big-screened phones. The iPhone 6 Plus should target this preference well.

y Nod