Abstract:
As Apple’s much-anticipated ultra-high-end flagship model, the initial launch of iPhone Ultra in the Chinese mainland market may encounter variables. According to the latest news disclosed by the supply chain and telecommunications industry, because the model has completely eliminated the physical SIM card slot in the industrial design and switched to an all-eSIM (embedded SIM card) architecture.
Subject to mainland China’s strict regulatory approval of eSIM technology for smartphones and the adaptation progress of local telecom operators, iPhone Ultra may not be available for sale simultaneously with other major markets around the world, and faces the risk of delayed delivery of several weeks or even longer.
Since the US version of the iPhone 14 series took the lead in completely removing the physical SIM card slot, Apple has gradually promoted the global layout of non-hole and eSIM for the entire series. On the new iPhone Ultra model with a more extreme positioning, in order to accommodate a larger-capacity high-energy-density battery, a high-specification periscope telephoto module, and a more compact heat dissipation vapor chamber, Apple has completely abandoned the traditional double-sided nano-SIM physical card tray structure in the internal stack of the whole machine, and is fully betting on pure eSIM technology solutions. This radical hardware slimming strategy hit hard policy and technical compliance barriers when it was promoted to the Chinese mainland market.
Currently, mainland China has commercialized eSIM in wearable devices (such as smart watches) and some Internet of Things and Internet of Vehicles fields. However, in the field of smartphones with the highest penetration rate, the relevant regulatory authorities have long maintained an extremely cautious regulatory attitude towards the opening of eSIM to smartphones due to comprehensive considerations such as communication real-name verification, telecom network anti-fraud, and network information security protection, and have not yet officially released network access licenses for pure eSIM smartphones to the public on a large scale.
Informed sources revealed that Apple is conducting close consultations and joint testing with China Telecom, China Mobile and China Unicom, the three major local operators, as well as the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and other competent authorities on the approval of iPhone Ultra's franchise network. However, in order to fully meet the local strict real-name activation process, dynamic anti-money laundering security risk control model, and cross-provincial network transfer verification and other technical specifications, the operator's system backend still needs to carry out a large number of underlying protocol modifications and security certification joint debugging. Because the entire compliance review and end-to-end testing process took longer than expected, the device still failed to complete all access procedures before the release window.
Market analysts pointed out that mainland China is one of Apple's core high-end flagship shipping markets globally. If the supply of the ultra-large Ultra series is absent or delayed, it will inevitably have an impact on Apple's revenue performance in the first quarter, and may divert some consumer groups who are pursuing a top-end experience to the local Android folding screen and high-end flagship camp. Apple is currently evaluating alternative options, including prioritizing the promotion of a special green approval channel, or exploring whether to rush to produce specific batches of customized hardware if necessary. However, any temporary hardware changes will cause huge disruptions to the global supply chain production schedule. For domestic consumers who are eager to buy this new top-of-the-range machine, they may need to be mentally prepared for a long wait or an extremely tight supply of the first batch of products.
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