Apple is reported to have included Korea among the first countries for the iPhone new product launch this year, following last year.
According to the industry on the 22nd, Apple has included Korea as a first launch country in line with the iPhone 17 release scheduled for next month on the 9th, U.S. local time.
In Korea, pre-orders are expected to start on the 12th of the same month, with activation scheduled to begin on the 19th.
In the past, Apple has primarily included Korea among the second wave release countries for new iPhone launches.
However, when launching the iPhone 16 in September last year, it included Korea for the first time among the first launch countries along with the United States, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, and India.
The industry sees that Apple has included markets like Korea, which had relatively lower importance, among the first launch countries due to sluggish sales in China caused by government regulations and competition with local companies.
According to market research firm Counterpoint Research, Samsung Electronics accounted for 82% of total smartphone sales in Korea from January to July this year.
However, unlike Samsung Electronics, which launches its flagship Galaxy S series at the beginning of the year, the iPhone tends to have relatively higher sales in the second half of the year since new products are released in the third quarter.