The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are coming to China on October 17, and may be coming to Thailand a week later.
Apple will launch the devices online and through all three mobile operators on October 17, the company said. Pre-orders will commence from October 10 and reservations for in-store pickups will start on October 14.
“We are thrilled to bring iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus to our customers in China on all three carriers at launch,” said Apple’s CEO Tim Cook.
“With support for TD-LTE and FDD-LTE, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus customers will have access to high-speed mobile networks from China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom for an incredible experience.”
The omission of China from the list of first-release launch nations for the new iPhones was the cause of some speculation. The decision may be down to delays receiving regulatory clearance for the devices.
Apple meanwhile plans to launch the phones in Thailand on October 24, a source at a Thai ICT distributor told the Bangkok Post.
Another industry source alleged to the paper that Apple left Thailand off the first-release list in retaliation for regulator NBTC confirming the existence of the iPhone 6 a month before it was announced. The first source indicated that the delay could instead have been merely a supply issue.