iPhone 6 has not yet received China's network access license. Apple refuses to comment

Apple Inc's iPhone 6 has passed a key regulatory hurdle in China but is still not approved for sale there, the first time Chinese officials have hinted at a delay in the release of Apple's latest phone in one of its most important markets. Earlier last week, Apple said only that China would not be included in the first day of sales of the iPhone 6, but did not explain the delay.

Xinhua said the iPhone 6 had received regulatory approval to use domestic frequencies, but it still needed a network access license before it could be sold in China. Apple declined to comment.

As the smartphone market approaches saturation, China is critical to Apple's growth story.

Apple said more than 4 million pre-orders were placed for its latest iPhone in the first 24 hours after it was released last week, but analysts were divided over whether Apple could surpass the 9 million units it sold in the first weekend of last year's iPhone 5s and iPhone 5C, which were available in China, without China.

"Investors are a little cautious this year about how the absence of China will affect first weekend sales," said Walter Pesick, an analyst at BT IG Research. He expects first weekend sales to exceed 10 million. Bernstein analyst Toni Sacconaghi estimates sales of 7 million to 8 million. If true, it would be the first time that first three-day sales of a new iPhone have been lower than in previous years. However, Sacconaghi said it could help boost sales in China after December, flattening the usual surge in sales in the first three months of a new iPhone's launch. Apple did not say when it would start selling the iPhone 6 in China, without having received network approval.

The Xinhua report came as Apple launched a new website detailing its privacy policies. Even as Apple seeks to distance itself from Silicon Valley peers such as Google over its handling of personal information, especially as it moves into new areas such as health tracking and payments, the iPhone maker faces accusations in China that it has passed on "state secrets" to U.S. intelligence agencies. Apple denies the accusation.

There are also reports that Apple is seeking to appoint a law enforcement director in Beijing, a position that would involve cooperating with Chinese government requests for Apple user data within the country. As part of its efforts to increase the speed of its users' Internet services, Apple has begun storing users' personal data on servers within China, but this move also makes the data vulnerable to government access.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.