Apple's iPhone 17 series has arrived to kick off the next global upgrade cycle, with early sales showing healthy traction. Preorders in China even pushed some models into shipping delays. But the headline model, iPhone 17 Air, has stumbled before it even got going. Its e-SIM-only design doesn't pass local regulatory muster, effectively locking it out of the world's largest smartphone market. For Apple, that's not just a sales snag; it's a strategic blind spot.