AppAdvice International: Chinese carriers, stolen iPhones and more

China features big in this week’s edition of AppAdvice International, and the first story in the pipeline concerns China Mobile – the nation’s biggest carrier – which has been accepting preorders for Cupertino’s upcoming “iPhone 6” handset ahead of schedule. Following this, China Telecom also launched preorders for the device.

In a report that surfaced online last week, we explained:

Interestingly, the campaign all but confirms that the iPhone 6 is set to come in 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch versions, as prospective buyers are prompted to choose between the two models.

China Mobile’s preorder program is available in the Chinese capital of Beijing only. Be that as it may, more than 33,000 preorders have already been placed for the iPhone 6.

Further to this, a China Daily source claimed that the “iPhone 6” could reach customers as early as the middle of September. With a special media event scheduled for 10 a.m. PDT (6 p.m. GMT), we don’t have long to wait until fact is separated from rumor. Check back with us later today for all the news as it’s announced.

China Mobile.

Apple’s big fall product lineup is expected “to cause its competitors some major bottleneck as it dominates the shipping channels out of China,” a recent report of ours explained.

Citing orders with “a very important customer,” shippers are explaining to manufacturers that deadlines could be missed during the month of September due to the expected launch of Apple’s “iPhone 6” and its long-anticipated “iWatch.”

Of course, if next-generation iterations of the iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display launch, shipping channels out of China are sure to be even further clogged.

Finally this week, Britain’s Home Office published a report explaining that Apple’s iPhone handsets – specifically, the iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s, and iPhone 4s – are the top four phones most prone to theft. As our original article explained, the four devices were followed by the BlackBerry 9790 and Samsung’s Galaxy S4 and S3 devices.

Aldrin Calimlim noted:

The index is based on crime data between August 2012 and January 2014, specifically the data provided by the Metropolitan Police in London, where nearly 100,000 cases of mobile phone theft were reported during 2013 alone. The report mentions that between the period under consideration, more than half of all phones stolen in London were iPhones.

The report also notes that an improvement in the levels of mobile phone theft was evident toward the end of the period. This is attributed to the introduction by manufacturers of security measures in their smartphones, including Apple’s Activation Lock feature in iOS 7.

You can help yourself, of course, by enabling a passcode or Touch ID on your iPhone and configuring Find My iPhone. Both options can be found in the iOS Settings application; a free Find My iPhone iOS application is also available to download.

Activation Lock.

See also: A new report claims that both ‘iPhone 6’ models are coming on Sept. 19, Now you can feel like Evel Knievel with Badass Trial Race on iOS, and Report: Expect Apple to unveil the ‘iPhone 6’ and ‘iPhone 6 Plus’.

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