The launch of Apple’s brand-new iPhone Air in China has been temporarily delayed, according to a report in the South China Morning Post. The reason behind the delay stems from the iPhone Air incorporating an eSIM instead of physical SIM cards. As a result, there are reportedly some regulatory issues in play that Apple needs to work out with the Chinese government.
Still, Apple remains optimistic that all three of China’s major telecom operators — China Unicom, China Mobile, and China Telecom — will eventually carry the iPhone Air.
Shortly after the iPhone Air unveiling, Apple’s online store in China indicated that the device would be available for pre-order on September 12 and arriving in stores one week later. The iPhone Air webpage has since been updated to say that “Release information will be updated later.”
There’s no timetable for when that might be, but it stands to reason that Apple is working extremely hard to address any potential concerns and issues. Recall that China is a massive market for Apple and, as of last quarter, sales in China accounted for 15-17% of Apple’s global revenue.
Behind the iPhone Air’s thin design
Measuring in at 5.6mm, the iPhone Air is the thinnest iPhone Apple has ever released. As a point of comparison, the second-thinnest iPhone model is the iPhone 6 which was 6.9mm thick. The iPhone Air is also remarkably lightweight, weighing in at just 165 grams.
To develop such a thin device, Apple had to make several interesting design decisions. One example is the eSIM itself. By moving away from a physical SIM, Apple was able to keep the iPhone Air design compact while also allowing for a larger battery.
Further, the iPhone Air employs a 3D printed titanium USB-C port. Apple touched on this in a press release, noting that this specific design choice not only results in a thinner and stronger port, but also uses “33 percent less material than a conventional forging process.”
iPhone Air pre-orders opened up today, and a quick glance at Apple’s website reveals that orders placed today will ship on schedule next week. As it stands now, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is the only new device that appears to be supply-constrained. Specifically, orders for the iPhone 17 Pro made today will ship in late September or early October, depending on color and storage options.
