Apple has postponed the launch of the iPhone Air in China. It is the second largest market for the company

Apple has delayed the launch of the iPhone Air in mainland China due to eSIM issues and waiting for regulatory approval. The company's website indicates that release information will be updated at a later date, while it previously said pre-orders would start on September 13 and shipments would begin on September 19.

Apple has postponed the launch of the new iPhone Air in mainland China, according to information on its official website. The company's Chinese page states that "release details will be updated at a later date." Back in the evening of September 11, it was reported there that pre-orders would start on Friday and shipments would begin on September 19, but then the link to the pre-order was removed, Barron's writes, citing Internet Archive data.

The sales launch has been delayed due to problems with the introduction of eSIM technology and waiting for regulatory approval in China. iPhone Air does not assume the ability to install a SIM card in it and supports only eSIM. In China, unlike the U.S., physical SIM cards are mostly used, not eSIMs, Bloomberg notes.

Apple representatives emphasized in comments to Chinese media that Apple is "working closely with regulators to bring the new product to market as soon as possible," Barron's adds. Apple's updated brief on Friday notes that carriers China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom will support the iPhone Air's eSIM once authorization is granted.

The company's other new products, including the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro, are still due out in China on September 19, and pre-orders are already open.

Apple did not respond to Barron's requests for comment.

China is the second-largest market for the iPhone after the US and is crucial to the US company's revenue, the WSJ notes. In recent years, Apple has been losing Chinese market share to local rivals including Huawei. But in the second quarter of this year, the iPhone maker managed to show sales growth in China for the first time since 2023, Counterpoint Research said. The sales growth was mainly driven by active promotions offered on the purchase of new iPhones.

Apple shares jumped nearly 2% to $234.5 in trading Friday. Since the beginning of the year, the market value of the "Magnificent Seven" company has fallen by almost 7%. By comparison, the main U.S. stock index S&P 500 for the same period, on the contrary, rose by 12%.

Wall Street is divided in its assessment of Apple's prospects after the presentation of the ultra-thin iPhone Air, Barron's notes. Some experts doubt that the new design will be able to significantly accelerate sales, especially in China. There, according to DA Davidson, the company faces challenges due to a lack of notable smartphone innovation. Chinese consumers, the firm's analyst notes, have "few alternatives as good, if not better." Against this backdrop, he downgraded Apple's stock from "buy" to "neutral," leaving the target price at $250 - 8.5% above the Sept. 11 close.

Among the optimists is Evercore ISI analyst Amit Daryanani, who said the updated design "could revitalize Apple's user base and be the starting point for a series of new iPhone models over the coming years." Daryanani raised his target price on Apple shares to $260 from $250 and maintained an "above market" recommendation, Barron's noted.

About 60% of analysts now advise investors to buy Apple stock (Buy and Overweight estimates), while other bigtechs including Nvidia, Microsoft and Amazon have over 90%. The Wall Street consensus price target is $242.5 - just 5.5% above the close of recent trading.

This article was AI-translated and verified by a human editor