Sales of Apple’s controversial iPhone SE kicked off in China on Thursday. The smaller iPhone SEs in stock were immediately snapped up on major online channels.
The iPhone SE uses an A9 chip, the same as the iPhone 6s. It has a four-inch Retina display screen and a 12 megapixel iSight camera. And it supports Live Photos, VoLTE, 4K video recording and, of course, Apple Pay. IPhone SE has almost the same specs as the iPhone 6s except for 3D Touch, Apple’s multi-point touch technology.
iPhone SE sales started simultaneously on Apple China’s official website, online shopping platforms JD.com and Tmall, and in Apple stores.
However, Chinese Apple fans, who have a reputation for lining up at midnight for Apple products like the iPhone 6s, were not spotted outside Apple Stores until the morning. But notice from the online platforms indicates that iPhone SE are popular:
From Apple:
With the first batch of iPhone SEs out in no time, those who were late to the game will have to wait at least seven days for the next batch on Apple China’s official site.
From Tmall:
If you want a 16GB version of the gold iPhone SE, you’ll still have to wait 13 days after you pay on Tmall. Other versions and colors require even more waiting time.
From Tmall Weibo:
Meet the girl who got “the first iPhone SE in China” via Tmall.
From JD.com
All versions and colors of the iPhone SE are sold out on JD.com. It is not clear when the next batch will be ready.
Apple’s latest financial report shows that only 74.8 million iPhones were sold in Q4 2015, a YoY increase of 0.4%. This is the lowest growth rate since 2007. So the lower-cost iPhone SE may be Apple’s strategy to boost sales, especially in China.
(Top photo from xiazaizhijia.com)
