TOKYO: Buyers from China, deprived of the latest iPhone launch at home, were among the first in line in Japan yesterday to grab the “6” and its new large-screen cousin as Apple hit back at rivals.
Licensing problems in China meant the global rollout went ahead without the huge and lucrative market, in a blow to Apple which had trumpeted its inclusion in the initial wave of the last iPhone launch.
Outside Tokyo’s flagship Apple store in glitzy Ginza, dozens of Chinese were among those waiting.
On the eve of the launch, Beijing said Apple had won two necessary approvals, one to certify the phone for the Chinese market and another for wireless devices.
“But iPhone 6 still needs to obtain a key network access licence before it can enter the Chinaese mainland market,” the Xinhua news agency said.
The delay has created a lucrative secondary market, especially in Hong Kong, where dealers pay over the retail price expecting to get even more in turn from mainland buyers. AFP