Apple hits a purple patch as iPhone 14 sales take off
Deliverymen wait for their packages in an Apple store. The image went viral on social media.
Apple's iPhone 14 models officially went on sale on Friday in China, with the new deep purple models welcomed by the market.
The prices of the high-end iPhone 14 are the same as last year's iPhone 13 models. The iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max are priced within a range between 7,999 yuan (US$1,140) and 13,499 yuan in China.
Apple had started presale of iPhone 14 last Friday and consumers could collect their purchases today in Apple stores, which also offered delivery services.
By 2pm, people on Dada's platforms had paid 200 million yuan to buy iPhone 14, according to the Shanghai-based platform that offers purchasing and delivery services.
Outside Shanghai's Apple store, scalpers sold the latest models, charging at least 200 yuan extra.
"The price changes every minute today. The new purple models (Pro and Pro Max) are most popular, definitely," a scalper who declined to be identified told Shanghai Daily.
Li Jun, a Shanghai-based photography fan, ordered a purple iPhone 14 Pro Max last Friday and expects delivery in October.
"I want to see how far mobile photography can go as the iPhone 14 features a 48-mega-pixel camera," said Li, who currently uses an iPhone 12 Pro Max.
On Apple China's website, people have to wait six weeks or more to get a purple iPhone 14 Pro while they can get a standard iPhone 14 within two working days.
Apple also offers a trade-in offset of up to 5,500 yuan to users of older iPhones.
The new iPhone may change the landscape of the high-end mobile phone market in China.
In July, China's smartphone sales dropped 17.7 percent to 22.1 million units. The top four brands all posted year-on-year declines while Apple, the No.5 player, posted 6.5 percent growth, according to CINNO Research.
