Technology news website of Guangzhou's 21st-Century Business Herald has revealed in a recent report that the China Mobile website as opened pre-orders for Apple's next-generation iPhone --- the iPhone 6, which is expected to be unveiled by the US tech giant at a September 9 product launch event.

According to the report, China Mobile is offering both the models of the still-to-be-launched iPhone 6 - the 4.7-inch model and the 5.5-inch 'phablet' model - for pre-order. The 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB variants of both the iPhone 6 models can be pre-ordered.

However, the China Mobile website has not explicitly stated on the supposedly iPhone 6 pre-order webpage that the pre-orders are for the forthcoming iPhone 6 handset. All that the carrier has mentioned on the webpage is that the pre-orders are for a "brand new mysterious smartphone."

The webpage, nonetheless, features an image of a large apple, with a number six beside it.

The China Mobile iPhone 6 pre-order service is available on its website, WeChat channels as well as its stores and distributors in Beijing. Pre-orders are free; and the customers simply have to give their ID number and contact details while pre-ordering the handset. Till 6pm on Tuesday, over 32,000 people had placed their iPhone 6 pre-orders.