(Yicai) Sept. 10 -- After Apple unveiled the iPhone 16 series, Apple Watch Series 10, AirPods 4, and other goods, Chinese e-commerce platforms began competing who can ship and deliver the US tech giant's new products first once they launch.

Tmall Apple Store, the company's only official flagship store on e-commerce platforms, will launch pre-sales of the iPhone 16 series at 8 p.m. on Sept. 13, seven days ahead of rivals, Yicai learned. It will also share inventory with and provide the same after-sales service as Apple's official website.

About 219,000 people have requested to be notified when the iPhone 16 Pro Max 256 gigabyte version, priced at CNY9,999 (USD1,405), launches on JD.Com, according to the website of the e-commerce giant.

Other Chinese e-commerce and instant retail platforms focused on the delivery speed of the new Apple phone. Kuaishou Technology, a competitor to Douyin, TikTok's sister app in China, said it will offer iPhone 16 series hourly deliveries in over 300 cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, starting Sept. 20.

Alibaba Group Holding's takeaway platform Ele.me announced it will collaborate with nearly 4,000 Apple-authorized resellers this year, with its clients to receive their new iPhone 16 in as little as half an hour on release day.

In addition, inquiries for Apple phone trade-ins surged 96 percent after the release of the new iPhone series from a week earlier, while related searches doubled, according to data from second-hand e-commerce platform Zhuanzhuan.

Editor: Martin Kadiev