TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Apple announced that iPhone 6 and 6 Plus will be available in China, after experiencing delays, starting October 17.

Pre-orders from the Apple online store will start on Friday, October 10.

“We are thrilled to bring iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus to our customers in China on all three carriers at launch,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook.

“iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus customers will have access to high-speed mobile networks from China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom for an incredible experience.”

iPhone 6 and 6 Plus will hit the Chinese market, the largest smartphone market in the world, about a month after they became available in the U.S. and other countries.

China's Department of Industry and Information Technology issued network access licenses for the new Apple phones after the tech giant addressed privacy risks raised in a government agency's safety test.

The government of China is also concerned that the software it argued could be used by third parties to access user data.

Analysts have praised its new iPhones sales, including a company record for sales over the first weekend.

ANTARA | ARINDRA MEODIA