Apple may be halfway there when it comes to receiving the necessary regulatory approval for the iPhone 6 to go on sale in China.
As per China’s official Xinhua news agency, Apple has now received regulatory approval for the iPhone 6’s use on domestic frequencies, although it requires one other “critical license” before it is able to go on sale.
According to a recent Bloomberg report, Apple’s delayed entry into China with the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus is the result of a disagreement with the country’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, which tests all new phones before they may enter national telecom networks.
It was previously reported that this delay could push the iPhone 6’s launch in China back to 2015. While there is still no clear-cut date when the iPhone 6 family of devices will receive full clearance, it is looking more promising that the process has not entirely stalled.
The delay is bad news for Apple, which has been establishing a foothold in China, particularly after the much-heralded China Mobile deal was agreed at the start of this year.
Tim Cook has previously suggested that China could one day overtake the U.S. as Apple’s biggest market.
For it to do so, however, it is necessary that Apple comes to the right agreements with the Chinese government. Previously the Chinese media has accused Apple of using both iCloud and the “Find My iPhone” function to spy on its citizens, while Apple has been forced to move iCloud in China over to state-run servers.
We’ll keep readers updated as soon as an official launch date is announced.
Source: Reuters
Luke Dormehl is a U.K.-based journalist and author, with a background working in documentary film for Channel 4 and the BBC. He is the author of The Apple Revolution and The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems … and Create More, both published by Penguin/Random House. His tech writing has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, Techmeme and other publications.
2 responses to “Apple needs one more ‘critical license’ to launch iPhone 6 in China”
Yea, real tragedy for Apple in that the super rich will simply pay a few thousand to buy or have someone buy the phone in the US … and then the merely rich will buy it in droves later (most likely the BIGGEST 128 GB 6+ at the costliest). It’s not like they are going to buy another phone as a substitute. It’s like like choosing beytween the Posche Cayenne or the Range Rover -more like the other option is a Kia minivan … oh and Apple Q’s end in a few weeks so if its delayed another few weeks, China iphone hits in the next Q – again, Apple can’t lose.
Apple is getting richer day by day because there are people who buy iPhones just for the name of Apple.I mean they don’t even know whats in the phone and still they buy it because it is the latest phone and they want to look great and shit like that.I came across this video which not only revealed the truth of dumbness but also heights that apple fans can believe anything they like http://viralexpose.com/funny-pranks/people-are-dumb-this-guy-lies-to-people-about-some-fake-functions-of-iphone-6-and-how-people-believe-it-is-shocking/