Apple’s iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus debut was the biggest launch in the history of smartphones. Through the new handsets’ opening weekend alone, Apple sold more than 10 million combined iPhone 6 and 6 Plus units, topping the 9 million iPhone 5s and 5c handsets the company sold during their debut weekend in 2013. It may seem as though Apple’s iPhone launch weekend didn’t see much growth this year, but that’s actually not the case at all — as we’ve noted before, the fact that the iPhone 6 didn’t launch in China changes things dramatically.
FROM EARLIER: iPhone 6 review
Apple sold about 2.75 million iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c handsets in China during their launch last year. Taking that figure into account, Apple actually enjoyed tremendous 60% on-year growth during the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus’ debut weekend.
And now, following rumors that Apple’s new iPhones might not launch in China until early next year, it appears as though the new devices will debut in China much sooner than expected.
According to a screenshot leaked by Chinese-language technology blog TechWeb, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will be released in China on October 10th, less than two weeks from today. The screenshot allegedly shows a notice about the launch sent to Apple Store employees in China so that they can prepare.
While the authenticity of the images has not yet been confirmed, the leak comes just a few days after China’s Minister of Industry Miao Wei said that the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus were entering the final stages of the approval process. Also of note, the press in China has independently reported that Apple’s new iPhones will be released on the 10th of October.
The leaked screenshots can be seen below.
