Apple delays launch of ‘made-in-India’ new iPhone Air in China over ‘approval’ issues

The launch of the new iPhone Air has been delayed in China, Apple has said, citing regulatory approval issues. Notably, the latest iPhone models are being made in India in a network of five factories, including Tata’s new Hosur plant and Foxconn’s massive 300-acre hub near Bengaluru airport.

When pre-orders for the new models began on Friday (Sep 12), customers in China were unable to place orders through the company’s local website. Instead, they were met with a message stating: “Release information will be updated later. All models will be released after approval.”

Earlier, the tech giant had announced that it would launch the pre-order on September 12 and the general sale on September 19 in the US and other major markets worldwide.

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Why is the launch in China delayed?

Launching the iPhone Air in China is significantly more complicated than in other markets. Unlike the US, where eSIM technology is widely used, China still primarily relies on physical SIM cards. This poses a challenge for the iPhone Air, which uses eSIM exclusively due to its slimmer design.

Apple had earlier said that its new model would only be available through a single Chinese carrier, China Unicom, and would require users to visit a store and activate their eSIMs to start their devices.

The company’s website also notes that other carriers, including China Mobile and China Telecom, will eventually support the iPhone Air and its eSIM technology. Meanwhile, Apple’s other new models, the iPhone 17, 17 Pro, and 17 Pro Max, launched as scheduled in the region and come equipped with physical SIM card slots for the local market.

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Made-in-India iPhones

Indian facilities are now assembling the latest iPhone models at the Foxconn and Tata-run Pegatron units.  A significant portion of the production is geared toward fulfilling rising demand in the US and Europe, while also serving India’s expanding smartphone market, sources told Moneycontrol.

Hon Hai, a Foxconn subsidiary, has ramped up operations at its newest plant in Bengaluru, which started trial runs of Apple’s latest model back in April. The facility has already become India’s largest iPhone factory by production capacity. Despite its scale far exceeding that of other local suppliers like Tata Electronics, Wistron (now under Tata), and Pegatron, sources emphasised that its output will ultimately be driven by global iPhone demand.