iPhone 17 Pro in new colors top choice among Apple fans: Chunghwa Telecom

Taipei, Sept. 20 (CNA) The iPhone 17 Pro, one of the newly launched iPhone models by Apple Inc., has drawn strong demand in Taiwan, with the new Cosmic Orange and Deep Blue options particularly popular, according to Chunghwa Telecom.

● Apple's iPhone 17 series goes on sale in Taiwan

Chunghwa Telecom, one of the new iPhone's distributors in Taiwan, said 43 percent of its clients opted for the flagship iPhone 17 Pro when the new models went on sale on Friday.

While 28 percent picked the iPhone 17 Pro Max, another flagship model, 23 percent favored the entry-level iPhone 17, and 6 percent liked the iPhone Air, Apple's thinnest iPhone ever at just 5.6 mm.

The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Pro Max, with a starting price of NT$39,900 (US$1,320) and NT$44,900, respectively, are available in three colors, Silver, Cosmic Orange, and Deep Blue, and most of its clients chose Cosmic Orange and Deep Blue, the telecom service firm said.

As for the iPhone Air, which starts at NT$36,900 and comes in Space Black, Cloud White, Light Gold and Sky Blue, Chunghwa Telecom said customers preferred the Sky Blue version.

Chunghwa Telecom said customers favored the Sage iPhone 17, priced at NT$29,900, over the other four colors -- Lavender, Mist Blue, White and Black.

The sale came following a preorder starting on Sept. 10 in Taiwan after Apple unveiled the new iPhones globally a day earlier.

For its part, Far EasTone Telecommunications, another major distributor in Taiwan, said the latest iPhones were received well in the local market, expecting the gadgets will trigger strong replacement demand, adding that many of its clients were amazed by the ultra-thin design of the iPhone Air, which weighs only 165 grams, 34 percent lighter than iPhone 17 Pro Max

In its stores, Far EasTone said, more than 80 percent of its clients signed up for the NT$1,399 and NT$1,599 monthly fee programs, and the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Pro Max were their favorites.

In addition to these telecom service providers, 3C distributors, including Tsann Kuen Enterprise Co., online operators momo, PChome, and 7-Eleven convenience stores have also had the iPhone 17 series available since Friday.

After its sale began at 11 a.m., Tsann Kuen said, the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max were sold out at its 104 Apple shops within about 30 minutes.

PChome said the number of buyers of the new iPhones on the first day of sale rose more than 15 percent from last year, while momo said the Silver 256GB iPhone Pro Max was sold out within minutes after the sale began.