How to Apple expanding iPhone 6 and 6 Plus availability to 20 new countries?

How to Apple expanding iPhone 6 and 6 Plus availability to 20 new countries?

Apple's new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus smartphones have just gone on sale in New Zealand (it's September 26 there) across company-owned online and retail stores, carrier locations and authorized retailers in the 4.5 million people country.

The iPhone release in New Zealand is part of a wider roll-out Friday that will expand the handset's availability to more than twenty new countries, including Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey and United Arab Emirates.

Apple has promised to make the new phones available in about 115 countries by the end of the year.

The iPhone maker isn't saying when customers in China, one of its fastest-growing markets, can expect to buy the new handsets as it continues to work with government agencies on obtaining a regulatory approval to sell the handsets.

For what it's worth, Samsung has now moved its planned release of the Galaxy Note 4 phablet in China and South Korea to September 26 after witnessing how popular Apple's new handset is, Korea Times reported.

"The positive reaction from consumers to those two Apple devices prompted us to launch the Note 4 earlier than previously scheduled," said an official at Samsung's marketing unit.

"Samsung will be aggressive in promoting the Note 4 as it's true that we're being challenged and pressured amid a difficult situation," Samsung PR said in an honest statement to Korea Times

Sammy Deguzman