Apple on Wednesday announced that the iPhone 4S will launch in 22 more countries next week, including China.
On Jan. 13, Apple will roll out the latest iPhone to the following countries: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bolivia, Botswana, British Virgin Islands, Cameroon, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, China, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Grenada, Guam, Guinea Conakry, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritius, Niger, Senegal, St. Vincent and The Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos, and Uganda.
Apple launched the iPhone 4S in seven countries back in October and has gradually added new locales in the months since. The newest group will bring the total number of countries that have the iPhone 4S to more than 90.
As the fastest growing market for the iPhone, China is the most notable country on the list. CEO Tim Cook last year called China "very key" to Apple's earnings. Chinese fanboys seem to be ravenous for Apple gadgets, too. In fact, just a week after the iPhone 4S went on sale in the states, it was rumored that the phone was selling for more than $2,000 in Beijing markets.
Ticonderoga Securities analyst Brian White speculated in a Wednesday note to investors that Apple timed China's iPhone 4S roll out just before the Chinese New Year (which begins Jan. 23) to give people time to snap up the phone as holiday gifts.
Apple product launches in China have a history of causing quite the frenzy. The May launch of the white iPhone 4 ended with a fight in the line outside Apple's flagship store in Beijing. Apple security locked the entrance to the store, but customers rushed the glass facade and shattered the doors, prompting a complete shutdown for the rest of the afternoon.
Following the incident, Apple required customers to reserve a white iPhone before they came to the store to buy it. The company has been using a reservation system for the iPhone 4S for several months here in the states.
For more on the iPhone 4S, see PCMag's review and the slideshow below.