Taipei: 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.

According to Focus Taiwan, Chunghwa Telecom, one of the new iPhone's distributors in Taiwan, reported that 43 percent of its clients opted for the flagship iPhone 17 Pro when the new models went on sale. Meanwhile, 28 percent chose the iPhone 17 Pro Max, another flagship model, 23 percent favored the entry-level iPhone 17, and 6 percent preferred the iPhone Air, Apple's thinnest iPhone ever at just 5.6 mm.

The telecom service firm highlighted that the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Pro Max, with starting prices of NT$39,900 (US$1,320) and NT$44,900 respectively, are available in three colors: Silver, Cosmic Orange, and Deep Blue. Most clients showed a preference for Cosmic Orange and Deep Blue. As for the iPhone Air, which starts at NT$36,900 and comes in Space Black, Cloud White, Light Gold, and Sky Blue, customers leaned towards the Sky Blue version.

Chunghwa Telecom also noted that customers favored the Sage iPhone 17, priced at NT$29,900, over the other four colors-Lavender, Mist Blue, White, and Black. The sale followed a preorder period starting on September 10 in Taiwan, after Apple unveiled the new iPhones globally a day earlier.

For its part, Far EasTone Telecommunications, another major distributor in Taiwan, observed that the latest iPhones were well-received in the local market, expecting the new gadgets to trigger strong replacement demand. They added that many clients were impressed by the ultra-thin design of the iPhone Air, which weighs only 165 grams, 34 percent lighter than the iPhone 17 Pro Max. In Far EasTone stores, more than 80 percent of clients signed up for the NT$1,399 and NT$1,599 monthly fee programs, with the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Pro Max being the favorites.

In addition to these telecom service providers, 3C distributors like Tsann Kuen Enterprise Co., and online operators such as momo, PChome, and 7-Eleven convenience stores have also made the iPhone 17 series available since Friday. Tsann Kuen reported that the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max sold out at its 104 Apple shops within about 30 minutes after sales commenced at 11 a.m. PChome noted a more than 15 percent increase in the number of buyers for the new iPhones on the first day compared to last year, while momo reported that the Silver 256GB iPhone Pro Max sold out within minutes of the sale's start.