Participants at the presentation of new iPhone models from Apple try out the new thinner iPhone Air.
Andrej Sokolow | Picture Alliance | Getty Images
Apple has postponed the launch of its new iPhone Air model in China due to regulatory issues surrounding its eSIM design, the company said.
Wireless carriers in China need a special license from the government before they can sell a new device with an eSIM, and the carriers haven’t secured that approval yet, Apple said. The company added that it is working to make the device available in China as soon as possible.
Apple announced the iPhone Air at its annual event on Tuesday. The device, which is 5.6 millimeters thick, marks the first major new iPhone design since the iPhone X was introduced in 2017. The iPhone Air doesn’t support a physical SIM card, and instead features an eSIM built into the device.
CEO Tim Cook told CNBC’s Jim Cramer on Friday that the eSIM is what allows the device to still have “great” battery life.
“It’s eSIM only, and so we were able to take the battery and extend the battery to areas that previously had the physical cell,” Cook said.
The company previously said the iPhone Air would become available for preorder in the region on Friday at 2 a.m. EST before it goes on sale Sept. 19.
As of Friday morning, the iPhone Air product page on Apple’s China website stated, “Release information will be updated later.”
The website notes that China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom will offer eSIM support for the iPhone Air, “with specific timing subject to regulatory approval.”
— CNBC’s Steve Kovach contributed to this report.