The iPhone 6's delayed launch in China has created an opportunity for smugglers, Reuters reports.
At the device's launch Friday in Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia, some customers attempted to get their hands on as many units as possible, specifically for resale in China, according to the publication:
"Justin Leung, a 28-year-old financial planner from Hong Kong, said he paid his friends in Japan to buy iPhones, which he plans to sell in mainland China. Leung said he had set out to buy 35 iPhones from Tokyo, but he and his friends only managed to get a hold of 25 units.
At an Apple store in Tokyo's up-market Omotesando boulevard, another Chinese man said he had paid a group of Japanese to buy iPhones on his behalf. He declined to identify himself, but was one of several Chinese buyers queuing up at the store on Friday."
The device has taken another crucial step forward as Apple prepares to launch the device in the country.
China was not among the major markets to be included in the first group of countries getting the new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus smartphones first - something that was immediately pointed out to be due to a lack of approval from the Chinese government.
On Thursday, however, the devices were reportedly given the regulatory approval to use China's domestic frequencies, an important step in the process required before they can be made available in the country. The next step will be gaining the thumbs-up from China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), which shouldn't drag out too long.
China is the world's largest smartphone market, having passed the US in 2011.
Apple has had recent success in the country, as well, selling a record number of 5S units during Q4 in the country. Bloomberg previously reported that Chinese consumers accounted for 16 percent of the Cupertino-based tech giant's $37.4 billion in iPhone sales last quarter. According to research firm Umeng, Apple's iPhone also makes up about 80 percent of all smartphones in the country priced $500 or more.
China was among the countries that received the iPhone 5S and 5C during the devices' opening weekend last year.
The new iPhones debuted last week with 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch displays - the biggest sizes ever offered in an iPhone.
Both new iPhones pack better battery life, an Apple A8 64-bit chip that allows for 25 percent faster CPU and 50 percent faster GPU performances, new camera features and Apple Pay, the mobile payment system that will allow users to pay for products with their iPhone.
