Report: Apple Needs Another License to Sell iPhone 6 in China

Apple fanatics are already lining up around the globe to be the first to nab an iPhone 6 on Sept. 19. But consumers will have to wait in China, where Cupertino must obtain more licenses before its new phones can enter the mainland market.

According to Chinese news site Xinhua, Apple won two major regulatory approvals, but still needs a key network access license.

Reuters suggested that the licensing process has "not completely stalled." Apple did not immediately respond to PCMag's request for comment.

The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus go on sale Friday in the U.S., Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore, and the U.K. But Apple has not yet announced a solid launch date for China—one of Apple's most important markets, and home to many of its supplier factories.

Cupertino unveiled the next-generation gadgets earlier this month, showing off its bigger, better 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch handsets, with the new A8 chip and M8 co-processor, as well as NFC support.

Pricing starts at $199 for the 16GB iPhone 6 and $299 for the 16GB iPhone 6 Plus, with a two-year contract from all four major U.S. providers. Apple has ditched its mid-sized device and instead offers a 64GB or 128GB version for $100 or $200 more, respectively.

Apple reported a record 4 million iPhone 6 pre-orders in the first 24 hours. Only those who were up in the wee hours of Sept. 12 to pre-order their phone will get it tomorrow; others will have to wait 7-10 days for iPhone 6 and up to a month for iPhone 6 Plus.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple supplier Foxconn is struggling to keep up with demand, despite "around the clock" production of 140,000 phablets and 400,000 smartphones every day.

On Sept. 26, the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus arrive in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.

For more, see PCMag's Hands On With the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, as well as the slideshow above. If you're on the fence, see our iPhone 6 vs. iPhone 6 Plus comparison, as well as our spec showdowns between the iPhone 6 and the Galaxy S5 and iPhone 5s.