China market missing from iPhone 6 launch

In a widely anticipated event, Apple this week unveiled the iPhone 6 with a larger screen than previous models, making the smartphone available in 10 countries and regions from Sept. 19. They do not include China, despite Apple launching the iPhone 5s and 5c in the country at the same time as other major markets last year, Kazinform refers to Arab News. The US tech giant's revenue in Greater China - which includes Hong Kong and Taiwan - is second only to its home country, and chief executive Tim Cook has said he expects it to become its biggest market in time. No date or price has yet been given for its release on the mainland, where Apple's website was still advertising the 5s on Thursday. Apple has not explained why China has been omitted from the first wave, prompting speculation among analysts and consumers who have pointed to Chinese regulators. Beijing's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology does not list the iPhone 6 as having received government approval. The ministry could not be reached for comment on Thursday. In recent months state-run Chinese media have raised the alarm over potential security risks from Apple products. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV in July accused Apple of threatening national security through the iPhone's ability to track a user's location. Apple denied it posed any such threat. In August, reports said some Apple products - including MacBook laptops and the iPad - had been removed from an official procurement list over security concerns, but the government denied those allegations. One analyst attributed the delay for the iPhone 6 to bureaucratic hurdles rather than a deliberate move by the government. "I don't think it's reliable news that the government is holding back the license, as Apple's entry into China has no effect on the government, but in fact it will drive the economy," Xu Hao of Analysys International told AFP. The iPhone is assembled in China, while the country's three biggest telecommunications companies, all state-owned, offer the phone to attract customers in a country where Apple products are popular. "So it's likely the company is still stuck in the approval process, due to uncontrollable factors," Xu said. Apple's sales in China alone surged 28 percent year-on-year for the three-month period ended June 28, according to the company, helping boost its net profit to $7.7 billion.