iPhone 17 sales off to a strong start in China, while iPhone Air launch is blocked

The iPhone 17 is seemingly resonating with Chinese consumers, with seemingly strong preorder sales volume. The South China Morning Post reports that iPhone 17 sales at JD.com (a large online Chinese retailer) within the first hour of preorders going on sale exceeded the first day of iPhone 16 preorders last year.
The base iPhone 17 with 256 GB storage was said to be the most popular model. Meanwhile, the launch of the iPhone Air is indefinitely delayed while Apple waits for eSIM-related regulatory approval.
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