Monday Apple Rumors: iPhone 5s Reservations for Chinese Consumers

by Christopher Freeburn | September 16, 2013 11:30 am

[1]Here are your Apple rumors[2] and AAPL news items for today:

Early Sales: Customers in China eager to purchase Apple‘s (AAPL)[3] new iPhone 5s will get a perk not available elsewhere[4], AppleInsider notes. While Apple is taking pre-orders for its new iPhone 5c, it has not announce any pre-orders or reservations for its new flagship iPhone 5s, except in Hong Kong and mainland China, where customers can start placing reservations for the top iPhone on September 17 through Apple’s Chinese online store. The iPhone 5s launches in a number of countries around the world on September 20. Apple began deploying a reservation system in China after the launch of the iPhone 4 resulted in massive crowds at its stores. The company has continued the practice in China for each subsequent product launch. However, since Apple is not offering pre-orders or reservations for the iPhone 5s anywhere else, the system makes Chinese consumers the only people who can guarantee that they will be able to pick up a brand new iPhone 5s on launch day. Apple is widely expected to announce that it has reached a deal with the world’s largest wireless carrier China Mobile (CHL[5]) in the coming weeks.

Harbinger: Innovative new components inside the iPhone 5s are seen as providing clues about the direction of future Apple products[6], Bloomberg notes. Analysts say that the M7 motion sensing chip contained in the new iPhone is a prelude to upcoming wearable computing devices, potentially including a smartwatch. Apple has reportedly created a team of 100 technicians and designers to develop the smartwatch and has filed to trademark the iWatch name in several countries. While Apple has indicated that the M7 chip could boost health and fitness apps, analysts speculate that it will ultimately be incorporated into the iWatch. The M7 chip is said to be highly optimized to crunch large amounts of data while using comparably little battery power. The fingerprint sensor found in the iPhone 5s is thought to provide a stepping stone to a secure mobile payments system. Currently, the sensor will be used to unlock the iPhone and confirm purchases from the App Store and iTunes. Finally, the 64-bit A7 processor in the new iPhone could herald a switch way from Intel (INTC[7]) chips in Mac computers as the iPad-maker seeks to unify its mobile and desktop systems.

Stormy Weather: The Apple Store in Tokyo opened its doors at 7:30 a.m. on Monday to give shelter to dozens of people[8] already on line for the arrival of the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c later this week, Kotaku notes. The people who are camping out in front of the store were bracing for torrential rains and strong winds associated with a typhoon that is bearing down on Japan. Apple fans have been lining up in front of the store since last week. Store employees allowed the eager consumers to remain inside with their possessions until 10 a.m. and handed out bottled water.

For more about the company, check out our previous Apple Rumors[9] stories.

Source URL: https://investorplace.com/2013/09/monday-apple-rumors-iphone-5s-reservations-for-chinese-consumers/

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