(JW Insights) Sep 21 -- Apple's new sold out on China’s Tmall within a minute of becoming available, the site’s operator Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., said on September 18.

Trying to get the priciest models in China is an exercise in patience. Backorders have reached a month and a half for many variants; only a couple are still available for late October, a month after the product’s release date, reported Bloomberg on September 19.

Before Apple Inc. showed off the iPhone 15, state-owned media and social media in the country buzzed about Huawei Technologies Co.’s Mate 60 Pro phone and suggested it’s an iPhone killer. These moves so far appear to have had little effect on the ritualistic enthusiasm for the latest iPhones.

It’s still super early in this year’s shopping cycle, and the eventual sales numbers may present a different picture. But initial signals point to iPhone sales in China starting no differently than any other year — or, for that matter, than any other country. For a decade and a half, Apple has managed to convince people its consumer electronics products are a must-have.

However, the atmosphere in China is different in 2023. The iPhone was unusually absent from social network trending topics the day of its launch event. Since then, when Apple has figured among the hot topics of the day, it’s been in a negative light.

The iPhone once again is transcending real-world events, according to the Bloomberg report.

(Gao J)