iPhone 6 Sales to Get Another Boost? Chinese Government Approves New Device, But With One Wrinkle

Apple can expect more good sales news from the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, as the Chinese government has approved the handset at long last.

According to Reuters, Apple's new iPhones are slated to go on sale on Oct. 17 in China on all three of the country's wireless carriers. The largest smartphone market in the world, China did not approve the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus right away, but Apple said it is ready to meet the country's demand.

Apple's suppliers indicated that nothing has changed in the wake of China's reluctancy to approve the new iPhones. They also noted they expect the 4.7- and 5.5-inch handsets to be hugely popular since many of the countries billion-plus smartphone users have been eagerly waiting for them.

"Our capacity around this time of the year always faces a certain amount of pressure, though this year isn't any worse than other years," a spokesman for Pegatron Corp., Apple's Taiwan-based supplier, told Reuters.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a source within another major supplier for Apple also said production has been uninterrupted and unchanged amidst China's delay in approving the new iPhones.

"We aren't seeing any unexpected order demand because of China right now," the source told Reuters. "Everything is operating on schedule.

"Sometimes it is funny that when it comes to the retailers, you hear about consumers having to wait a few weeks for their iPhone," the person said. "But this may not be because the supply chain has a bottleneck, it may have to do with retailing strategy of individual retailers."

According to the New York Times, the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology questioned the security of iOS 8 in their announcement. After expressing these concerns, they confirmed that Apple provided them with an information package addressing the issues.

Since former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden went public, China has stated its intention to lessen its reliance on foreign technology. That may not be the case with Apple's products, given their massive popularity.