Yet to be Released iPhone 6 Has Already Racked Up 33k Preorders in China
Apple has yet to officially unwrap its newest iPhone 6, but this early, preorders in China for the much coveted gadget has already reached to over 30,000 units.
A report by China Daily said China Mobile had launched its preorder program on Tuesday so that loyal Apple customers can already preorder their preferred units, or perhaps both, from the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch versions of iPhone 6.
Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 6 on Sept 9 at a press event, with no official release date yet given for the handset.
China Mobile's online preorder booking as of Tuesday evening had racked up 33,000 units. Its preorder system for Apple's next-generation smartphone, however, is currently available only in Beijing.
The report mentioned the Chinese company still has to decide if it will extend to the rest of the nation its online preorder program for iPhone 6.
An unidentified China Daily source said Chinese customers could receive the latest Apple smartphone gadgets as early as mid-September.
The timeline is just the "standard for Apple launches. Once an Apple device is unveiled, you can be sure it'll be available within a couple of weeks," TechRadar said.
Online preorders of the latest iPhone 6 require downpayment, which according to Li Lijun, an electronics seller on Taobao, could cost about 5,000 yuan ($810). Taobao is China's largest consumer-to-consumer e-commerce platform.
Li said he had received and entertained a lot of inquiries regarding the new iPhone 6, "but only a few have paid the preorder fee."
He said that since July, only 16 people so far had made placement orders with him on the upcoming smartphone gadget.
China Mobile is the country's largest telecoms network with nearly 800 million subscribers.
A report by the Wall Street Journal had said that Apple instructed suppliers to manufacture 70 million to 80 million combined of the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 unit versions by Dec 30.
Apple highly regards China Mobile to bring its gadgets into the mainland. In July, carrier reported its 4G subscriber-base had grown to more than 20 million, after rolling out in February its 4G LTE technology.