Apple (AAPL) iPhone 6/6+ Launch in China Said Delayed

Apple's (Nasdaq: AAPL) iPhone 6 launch in China is said to be experiencing some delays.

The NY Times reported late yesterday that Apple told the three largest, state-owned mobile service providers in China -- China Mobile (NYSE: CHL), China Telecom (NYSE: CHA), and China Unicom (NYSE: CHU) -- that it wouldn't be releasing the iPhone 6/6+ in China on September 19th.

While Apple didn't explain the delay, some speculate that approval to sell the devices hasn't been granted by China's Ministry for Industry and Information Technology quite yet.

Carriers have been taking pre-orders for some time now and Apple stores in Beijing and Shanghai have been preparing for a September 19th launch, one official with Apple said. The company's staff in China were said to have been caught off guard by the news.

Up until the most recent model, Apple's iPhone launch in China saw a several month delay versus release of the devices in other parts of the world. The iPhone 5c/5s largely stemmed that issue, making the recent delay even more surprising for Apple fans and investors.

Shares of Apple are lower in early trading.

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