As the Western world ogles Apple's new iPads, iMac, and desktop OS, Chinese fans are waiting in line for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.
Starting today, the next-gen handsets are on sale in mainland China via the online store and at Apple retail locations, as well as through China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom.
Customers can choose between the 4.7-inch iPhone 6, or its phablet-sized big brother, the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus. Both come in gold, silver, or space gray, available in 16GB, 64GB, and 128GB models.
The smaller handset will retail for 5,288 yuan ($859), 6,088 yuan ($989), and 6,888 yuan ($1,119) depending on your storage choice. Fans of the larger device will have to pay a suggested price of 6,088 yuan, 6,888 yuan, or 7,788 yuan ($1,265), respectively.
"We are thrilled to bring iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus to our customers in China on all three carriers at launch," CEO Tim Cook said last month. "With support for TD-LTE and FDD-LTE, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus customers will have access to high-speed mobile networks … for an incredible experience."
According to The Wall Street Journal, about 100 customers waited patiently outside the Apple store in Beijing's Sanlitun shopping district on Friday, ready for the 8 a.m. opening.
The event, as the Journal pointed out, was "decidedly low-key"—likely due to the mass availability of the devices, which went on sale simultaneously around the country.
At Apple's Thursday press event in Cupertino, where it unveiled the iPad Air 2 and iMac with Retina 5K display, Cook mentioned the China launch, where he said pre-orders had set a new record, though he did not reveal specific numbers.
He also noted that today's release marks the first time Apple has launched an iPhone on all three Chinese carriers—a move that aligns with the rollout of 4G LTE in the country.
While Apple fanatics lined up in the U.S. and other countries on Sept. 19, those in China were forced to wait as Cupertino obtained the necessary licenses for its new phones.
The delay even drove desperate buyers to the black market, where a 128GB iPhone 6 could sell for upwards of $2,440—quite a markup. Police have been cracking down on iPhone smugglers, confiscating hundreds of smartphones in Hong Kong and Shanghai.