On September 18, the Apple Store in Sanlitun, Beijing, officially rolled out sales for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max models. However, the crowd of people queuing up at the store was noticeably smaller than in previous years. According to reports, this year, Apple opted to release only the Pro and Pro Max versions of the iPhone 18 series initially, with the iPhone Duo version slated for release on October 23. This strategy appears to have somewhat dispersed consumer attention. Gone are the days when scalpers offered generous premiums for on-site purchases of new iPhones. This year, their profit margins have seen a significant decline. Only high-capacity and new color variants of the iPhone 18 Pro Max, such as the 1TB Glacier Blue and Burgundy Red, managed to command a higher price, with increases ranging from 500 to 800 yuan. This markup pales in comparison to the much higher premiums seen last year. On online platforms, while transaction prices for sought-after models initially surpassed official prices, they swiftly dropped. Take, for instance, the iPhone 18 Pro Max 256GB Burgundy Red version, which experienced a price drop exceeding 2,000 yuan in less than a week. Scalpers have expressed their intention to wait for the release of the iPhone Duo, believing that this version will more readily ignite a buying frenzy. They anticipate that the real price competition might kick off on October 23.