Posted on 09/13/2025 2:10:41 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
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.
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.
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.
(Excerpt) Read more at scmp.com ...
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Most of the cell phones on Chinese dramas seem to be Apple.
First world problems...oh, wait!
Jim Cramer speaks with Apple CEO Tim Cook at Corning plant in Harrodsburg, KY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juV2cY-BiGg
Ives: Why U.S. Made iPhones is a “Fairy Tale” #shorts
Schwab Network
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7v07ptdz4X4
Wasn’t it Gertrude Stein, who became known for saying:
“A phone is a phone is a phone!”
I could be mistaken.
i would not be able to use one anyway......
I’m still using an iPhone 11.
I’m happy with it, and thankful to live in in age when such things are possible.
It cost well under $1000, back in 2019.
Of course $1000 back then would be $2000 now.
I’ve never owned an apple product or used them. I have a Motorola G85 and sm pretty happy with it.
Fir thise who have used both Apple and Android, what’s the fascination with Apple?
My iPhone 16 makes me miss my $300 Motorola. Never again.
I don’t know “The Schwab Network” but this author below worked for Wall Street Journal and in China. He explains very clearly how ONLY China and the CCP could lure Apple to China to make its phones there.
It’s not at all about cheap labor, which perhaps was an initial attraction. Simply put - China has nearly the entire supply chain, machining and assembly to make the iPhone. Replicating that elsewhere is nearly impossible.
It was really a partnership between Apple, Chinese local governments, and the CCP. Thus it will be nearly impossible
The author has been on a lot of podcasts. Very enlightening
https://www.amazon.com/Apple-China-Capture-Greatest-Company/dp/1668053373
iPhone 17, 256GB, connect to any carrier $829 - Apple Care $119 yr,
It boils down to the apps you have already purchased. My employer supplied us with iPads, and urged us to use them for our personal use. I bought a number of apps I use frequently. When I retired, I purchased my own iPhones, iPads and Apple Watches. I need them for medical and other purposes. If I were to switch to Android, I would have to buy a lot of apps, and I might not be able to import the data from my old apps that run on IOS.
😉
Based on the number of interviews and every financial network and website on which he appears, he must spend very little time in the office. 😊
If I were going to replace these entry-level iPhones, I’d consider the base 17. The Air is just an aspirational product with a small battery and lacking the cooling the other news one have. The Pro and Pro Max are for cinematographers and tech video producers. 😎
The stock gouged a hole back in April and has been zig-zagging a generally upward path. I’ll probably bounce out of what I’m in and bounce in and out of this (IRA only).
At that point I’ll have the money to upgrade if I feel like it. I regard mobile phones as phones, with some text messaging and maps, and the camera is nice. But I’m not like the billion or so humans worldwide who treat their phones like an alternative lifestyle.
IMHO the Motorolas are the best value among the non-IOS phones out there; big screens, work great (for Android), often have great battery life, and typically are pretty low priced.
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