Apple announces Chinese iPhone 5, new iPad releases

Confirming speculation, Apple has officially announced that the iPhone 5 will be released on Dec. 14 in China, after recently receiving network access approval in China. Notably, no carrier details were announced in the press release, which mentions that sales in China will be restricted to online orders, pre-reserved units at physical Apple Stores, and through select Apple Authorized Resellers—most likely a response to overwhelming and unruly crowds that formed for the prior iPhone launch in China. The company also announced that the Wi-Fi versions of the iPad mini and fourth-generation iPad will become available for sale in China on Dec. 7.