Why Apple’s ‘upcoming’ iPhone 17 Air may have this ‘big’ China problem

Apple’s ambitious iPhone 17 Air is confronting a potentially devastating market barrier in China, with regulatory constraints threatening to derail the company’s most radical smartphone design in years.
The core of Apple’s China problem centers on SIM card technology, a seemingly mundane but critically important technical specification that could block the ultra-thin smartphone’s market entry. Chinese telecommunications regulations mandate physical SIM card capabilities—directly conflicting with Apple’s push toward an exclusively eSIM-based design for the iPhone 17 Air.