High Demand for iPhone 17 Causes Apple’s Online Store to Crash in China, Many Models Now Sold Out

In a highly anticipated move, Apple has commenced pre-orders for its new iPhone 17 lineup just hours ago. Among the key markets, China stands out as a focal point due to its significant demand for smartphones. Earlier this year, Apple had to implement discounts on the iPhone 16 series to boost sales in this region. However, the latest reports indicate that pre-order enthusiasm has soared to such an extent that Apple’s official website experienced crashes, resulting in many models, available in various colors and storage capacities, being temporarily sold out.

Reservations for the Base iPhone 17 Surpass 3.7 Million Units on JD.com

The increasing demand for the iPhone 17 has been highlighted by Yicai Tech, with sources like @Jukanlosreve uncovering essential data on the flagship series’ performance. Just yesterday, one online retailer reported an impressive 5 million total reservations, and now, JD.com—the largest retailer in China by revenue and ranked 47th on Fortune’s Global 500—has recorded over 3.7 million reservations for the base model alone. This exceptional demand has seemingly taken even Apple by surprise, as it is unusual for the company’s online store to crash under such heavy traffic.

Given this robust reception, it is likely that Apple has already reached out to Foxconn, its primary manufacturing partner, to increase production capabilities to meet this surging demand. A significant factor contributing to the enthusiastic response for the base iPhone 17 is the adoption of LTPO OLED technology across all four models. This advancement means that the entry-level version, starting at $799 in the U. S., benefits from a high refresh rate display that can dynamically adjust from 1Hz to 120Hz, enhancing both performance and battery efficiency.

iPhone 17 Pre-orders Crash Apple’s Official Website in China• The iPhone 17 series officially opened pre-orders at 8 p.m.on September 12. Consumer demand was so strong that many also flocked to Apple’s offline stores. When the reporter attempted to access Apple’s official…

— Jukan (@Jukanlosreve) September 12, 2025

Moreover, the iPhone 17 features the latest A19 chip, manufactured using TSMC’s advanced 3nm ‘N3P’ process. This new chipset presents slight performance and energy efficiency improvements over its predecessors, the A18 and A18 Pro, which were produced using an older 3nm technology. Apple is projected to ship around 100 million iPhone 17 units this year, with the iPhone 17 Pro Max expected to constitute a significant portion of this figure. However, given the remarkable surge in reservations for the base model, the company may need to reconsider its production tactics to keep up with demand.

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