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Apple\u2019s iPhone 17 lineup has, by all appearances, proven a hit<\/a> with consumers so far. But the iPhone Air so far has been missing from one of Apple\u2019s biggest markets: China. Fortunately, the iPhone Air\u2019s arrival in China is almost here.<\/p>\n iPhone Air pre-orders open this Friday, shipping next week<\/p>\n When Apple unveiled the iPhone Air, it said the device would become available for pre-order on Friday, September 12 in a wide global launch.<\/p>\n China was originally announced as a launch country, but Apple later had to change its plans.<\/p>\n Due to regulatory issues<\/a> surrounding the device\u2019s eSIM-only design, the iPhone Air\u2019s launch in China was delayed indefinitely.<\/p>\n Now, per CEO Tim Cook\u2019s post on Weibo<\/a>, Apple is nearly ready to launch the device.<\/p>\n iPhone Air pre-orders will begin this Friday, October 17 at 9:00 a.m. for users in mainland China.<\/p>\n iPhone Air will then ship to Chinese users on Wednesday, October 22.<\/p>\n It is still unknown how the Chinese market will respond to the eSIM-only model. Physical SIMs are more commonplace there than in many other parts of the world.<\/p>\n However, the timing of the launch does provide a couple weeks worth of data for Apple to highlight in its next quarterly earnings call<\/a> on October 30, if it wants to. <\/p>\n That earnings report will cover the quarter ending September 30, but it\u2019s likely that Apple will get asked by analysts about how market reception in China has looked so far.<\/p>\n Best iPhone accessories<\/p>\n
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