The iPhone 17 hit store shelves worldwide on Friday, drawing long lines of eager customers from Beijing to London. The launch featured several new products, including the iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and the new, thin iPhone Air, along with new Apple Watch and AirPods models. The global rollout is particularly significant as Apple grapples with increasing competition and questions over its artificial intelligence plans.
Battling for Market Share in China
One of the most crucial markets is China, where customers waited for hours, and even overnight, to get their hands on the new phone. A customer in Beijing, who identified himself only as Liu, told CNBC he had been waiting since Thursday night for a chance to pick up the iPhone 17 Pro Max. He said he was excited about the phone’s new color and exterior design, which includes an improved heat dissipation system. Another customer, an erstwhile Xiaomi user who goes by the surname Yang, said he was drawn to the iPhone’s operating system. Both customers expect many Chinese residents to buy their first iPhone this year due to the new features.
This trend would be welcome news for Apple, which has recently lost market share in China to local players like Huawei and Xiaomi. According to data from Omdia, Apple now holds only 10% of the Chinese smartphone market. However, early signs for the iPhone 17 are positive. JD.com, a major Chinese e-commerce platform, reported that the first minute of iPhone 17 series preorders surpassed the entire first-day preorder volume of last year’s iPhone 16 series.
The new phones were also met with fervor in other markets, such as Singapore, where customers formed long lines outside Apple stores. Customers in Singapore cited the fresh design, longer battery life, and improved camera as reasons for their upgrade, noting that the new phones offered enough to keep them loyal to the Apple ecosystem. In London, lines were longer than last year’s iPhone 16 launch, with customers appearing more interested in the premium Pro and Pro Max models.
Le Xuan Chiew, a research manager at Omdia, said that initial global demand for the iPhone 17 series appears largely positive, with the base model, in particular, outperforming expectations due to a price that remained unchanged despite upgrades in memory storage.
The Pressure to Deliver on AI
Despite the successful launch, Apple is still under pressure to prove itself, particularly with its artificial intelligence features. Ben Wood, chief analyst at CCS Insight, lauded the new products but said in an interview with CNBC’s “Squawk Box Europe” that Apple now needs to deliver on AI. He stated that the company had “dropped the ball” last year by making big promises that failed to materialize. Wood added that “Apple has to catch up [in AI], but right now, I think they’ve got enough runway to be able to cope in the intervening period.”
What The Author Thinks
The successful iPhone 17 launch, despite intense competition and questions about Apple’s AI strategy, demonstrates the brand’s enduring power. For many customers, a new design, a better camera, and a longer battery life are enough to maintain loyalty, especially when combined with the seamless ecosystem of products. The iPhone has evolved from a purely innovative product to a status symbol and a trusted utility, giving Apple a valuable “runway” to develop its AI features without immediately losing market dominance. This launch is a reminder that brand loyalty and a polished user experience can often outweigh being first to market with new and unproven technologies, especially for a brand that has built a reputation for delivering a complete and cohesive product.
Featured image credit: Heute
For more stories like it, click the +Follow button at the top of this page to follow us.