Apple CEO Tim Cook made a surprise appearance on a Douyin livestream on October 13, 2025, to announce that preorders for the new, thinner iPhone Air will begin in China on October 17, with sales starting on October 22. This marks a significant, direct marketing push from the CEO in a critical international market. The announcement is particularly noteworthy as the iPhone Air is Apple's first model to rely exclusively on eSIM technology. The launch is supported by Chinese carriers, including China Unicom and China Mobile, which have just received approval to roll out commercial eSIM services. This move underscores Apple's focus on its supply chain and sales in China, a market of strategic importance. During the same trip, Cook also visited a Pop Mart exhibition in Shanghai. Separately, multiple reports on the same day, citing Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, indicated that Apple is expected to announce a series of other new products later this week through press releases, including a new iPad Pro, a 14-inch MacBook Pro, and an updated Vision Pro, all expected to feature the new M5 chip.