Apple iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus Rumored To Launch In China In October

Amid various reports that China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology is getting in Apple’s way of bringing the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus handsets to the country, a report claimed Saturday that the new devices are scheduled to be released in China on Oct. 10, after receiving the final nod from the Chinese government.

According to a leaked timeline that helps local stores prepare for an upcoming launch, Apple’s retail employees in China will receive training material on Oct. 7, giving them three days to prepare themselves for the launch of the flagship phones, TechWeb, a Chinese news website, reported. While Apple has not said anything about the delayed China launch of the iPhone 6, many believe that the release was postponed as the regulatory approval process in the country took longer than expected.

AppleInsider said in a report that Apple wants to sell the new iPhone 6 units in China as early as possible, as the company wants to include initial sales in the holiday quarter, which is the company's first fiscal quarter.

Last year, Apple reported revenues of $57.6 billion during its holiday quarter, with $8.8 billion coming from the Greater China region, which includes Hong Kong and Taiwan.

The AppleInsider report also stated that the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 is expected to be priced at 5,288 yuan, or $863, while the 5.7-inch iPhone 6 Plus could cost 6,288 yuan, or $1,026.

However, Bloomberg reported on Friday that Chinese regulators, including the Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, are forcing carriers to lower subsidies for new phone buyers. According to the report, Chinese carriers had overspent on subsidies and advertising for devices such as the iPhone, and the mandatory changes could effectively double the retail price of hardware like handsets.

Due to the delay in the official introduction of the new iPhone 6 models in China, the prices of the devices on the local black market increased significantly, reaching as much as 11,641 yuan ($1,900) and 19,912 yuan ($3,250) for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, respectively, iDownloadBlog reported.