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Apple’s iPhone Air sells out in China after CEO Tim Cook’s visit

Pre-sales for the model, which only received Chinese regulatory approval recently, began on Friday morning

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An Apple store in Nanjing, eastern China’s Jiangsu province. Photo: AFP
Ben Jiangin Beijing

Apple’s iPhone Air sold out within minutes of its launch in China on Friday, underscoring the device’s popularity among Chinese consumers despite competition from Android devices.

The strong sales followed CEO Tim Cook’s visit this week to promote the product in the world’s largest smartphone market amid ongoing geopolitical tensions between China and the US. As chairman of an advisory body at Tsinghua University’s management school, Cook also met Vice-Premier He Lifeng on Thursday.
Pre-sales for the iPhone Air, which supports only e-SIM and received regulatory approval to launch in China just recently, began at 9am local time on Friday – more than a month later than most of the world.
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Minutes after bookings opened, the model was sold out at all bricks-and-mortar stores in Beijing and Shanghai, as well as in cities like Tianjin, according to Apple’s website. Online shipments were delayed by one to two weeks.

Apple CEO Tim Cook in Shanghai earlier this week. Photo Handout
Apple CEO Tim Cook in Shanghai earlier this week. Photo Handout

The robust demand reflects the positive reception of Apple’s newest and thinnest model in the Chinese market despite heightened competition from local brands such as Huawei Technologies and Xiaomi, which are striving to expand in the higher-end market in a challenging economy.

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