Apple CEO Tim Cook Tours China as iPhone Air Sales Begin

The iPhone Air at an Apple store in Los Angeles.

Photographer: Eric Thayer/Bloomberg

Apple Inc. is bringing its superthin iPhone Air to China after a pause that allowed local carriers to prepare for the eSIM-only device.

Preorders start Oct. 17 after domestic carriers including China Mobile Ltd. won approval to support that feature. The device will be available in stores Oct. 22, a company spokesperson said. The launch of sales coincides with Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook’s latest visit to China, where he posted about meeting Labubu-creator Kasing Lung and visited an Apple store in Shanghai. Cook also outlined a donation to Tsinghua University, the country’s most prestigious college.