A customer shows off the latest Apple iPhone 6 she bought at a sale last week. (Photo : www.gadgets.ndtv.com)
Statistics from an Apple news blog showed that the demand for iPhone is stronger in China than in most regions of the world, including the U.S., Arik Hesseldahl, senior editor of U.S. tech website Re/code.net, said.
According to the report, the iPhone inventory blog got the figure by keeping tracks of the back-order status of various iPhone models through screen shots of Apple's estimated wait times.
As of Sept. 12, shipping wait times on the new iPhone 6S Plus in China take at least three to four weeks, and two to three weeks for the 6S, the report added.
Hesseldahl, however, said that the data do not indicate how much was allocated by region or carrier in the inventory, since it is also the first day of pre-orders and the data can only provide preliminary information.
In its third-quarter earnings report in July, Apple Inc. said that its revenue in Greater China reached $13.2 billion, an increase of 112 percent year-over-year, with the sale of iPhones climbing 85 percent.
In previous reports by China Daily, Apple CEO Tim Cook was quoted as saying that the growth in Greater China was "outstanding," as the Mac App Store's revenue more than doubled in China.
The Apple executive also said that the company intends to open 40 new stores in China by the middle of next year.
"Obviously I can't predict the future, but our performance so far this quarter is reassuring," Cook said.
While commenting about the company's business in China to American news television channel CNBC recently, Cook said: "Additionally, I continue to believe China represents an unprecedented opportunity over the long term."
By tradition, Apple announces its first weekend sales the following Monday after a big launch.
