iPhone 6 Available Next Month in China

Apple Inc announced it would start selling its new generation iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus next month in China after it agreed to improve the user privacy and security.

The new mobile handsets will be on sale starting October 17, said the Cupertino, California based company, after the Ministry of Industry and Technology granted a permit for network access to the new smartphones.

That was the final step needed to receive approval to start sales. Pre-orders for the new smartphones by Apple will start on October 10 and the new phones can be used on all three of the carriers run by the state, said Apple.

The process to gain approval included talks on the possibility of personal data leaks through weaknesses in the operating system of Apple, with the company implementing measures in its iOS 8 to eliminate those risks.

The government’s focus on the security might pose risks over the long term for Apple inside China, where Apple has yet to crack into the top five in shipments of smartphones lagging behind domestic smartphone makers Lenovo Group and Xiaomi.

Apple has come under much greater scrutiny on the security of personal data from the Chinese government said a research group in Shanghai.

This has started to affect the consumers and some have started to think twice prior to purchasing an Apple product because of the government making them nervous, said the research group.

Apple has pledged it never built and never will build a back door with any agencies from government for products or its services, the ministry said.

A spokesperson for Apple based in Beijing would not make a comment on the changes the operating system has to satisfy the government of China.

The new 16GB iPhone 6 costs $860, while the 16 GB Plus will cost $1,115.

The release of the new Apple smartphones will come just as state carriers cut spending subsidies for smartphones on the high-end, by up to $3.9 billion. The new Apple iPhones will also trail the release of the new Samsung Note 4 in China.