“Chinese Internet users are crying foul over the perceived unfair treatment doled out to Apple Inc by state-run media which has actively criticized the smartphone maker for the past two weeks over its warranty policy,” Melanie Lee reports for Reuters. “Apple and Volkswagen AG were singled out on March 15 by state-run China Central Television in its annual corporate malpractice expose. CCTV accused Apple of having discriminatory after-sales service in China compared to the rest of the world. Other state-run outlets have also run articles and editorials criticizing Apple. On Wednesday, the Communist Party mouthpiece, the People’s Daily, ran an editorial attacking Apple for being filled with ‘unparalleled arrogance.'”
Lee reports, “The editorial was rapidly shared by thousands of micro bloggers on Sina Corp’s Weibo platform, but panned by many users who discredited the newspaper. ‘Shameless People’s Daily jealously scolding people… A brain-dead product of the Cultural Revolution, old and so disgusting,’ said one micro blogger. Other users were upset at the targeting of a foreign firm over a petty issue. ‘We ordinary people feel that Apple is good and the government is trash. There’s obviously an implemented warranty policy, why must (Apple) be treated differently?’ said one user.”
“The intense push-back from Internet users indicates the strong reputation of Apple in China and shows the waning ability of China’s state propaganda apparatus to manage opinion online, analysts say,” Lee reports. “Apple said in a statement on Saturday that it respected Chinese consumers and that its warranty policies were roughly the same worldwide with specific adjustments to adhere to Chinese law. ‘Apple has come out relatively unscathed in this situation because consumers have had largely positive experiences with the brand,’ said Benjamin Cavender, associate principal analyst at China Market Research in Shanghai.”
Read more in the full article here.
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China slams Apple’s ‘empty and self-praising’ response to warranty complaints – March 26, 2013
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gee, the Chinese commies better stop that free expression,,boy, the next thing ya know the citizens will want to decide for themselves how many children they can have.
Diversify manufacturing Apple before it’s to late.
Yes. Get things going in Brazil, but stop using questionable companies like Foxxcon to do it.
And get more local manufacturing going. North American iPhones iDevices should be built there. South American ones in Brazil. China can keep Foxxcon and their labor condition problems.
You’re obviously late to the party, or you’d be familiar with the numerous threads about how Apple could never mass-produce phones and other small consumer devices in America; there isn’t the available infrastructure, nor, more importantly, is there the number of employees ready and willing to do the sort of mundane assembly work, for the sort of wages that would be necessary to allow said devices to be sold at economical prices worldwide.
Which is why practically every single consumer electronic device that you own and use was almost certainly made by Foxconn, or a derivative thereof.
Yes and no. Yes, what you are stating was and is the manufacturing issue. However, no, it will not always be the issue. Many things are simplifying the assembly process. SoC, design, on line processing of data and media in stead of in the product or device, etc.. In the end, it will be AI and robotics that will manage and do the assembly of Apple’s products. When that point comes, world wide markets will be permanently changed. We are not to far from that point and Apple has the cash and resources to make this happen.
I think they are trying but it takes a long time to accomplish.
I agree completely. I hope Apple management isn’t hoping this is just going away. They wouldn’t have started this without some agenda and unless Apple gets with their program, I think things are going to get worse. This is a bit coincidental with the situation in North Korea as well as the fact that the China Mobil deal is partially being held up because the China govt wants control of the App store, which Apple I’m sure is steadfastly against (If they give here, its all over for their complete control for the rest of the world). The problem is it would take awhile to disintangle from Foxconn and switch manufacturing to the US.
Do we know the China Mobile deal has been held up?
Apparently the Chinese consumer knows better and is not amused or influenced by the state run media that is trying to attack Apple for no good reason. Not even sure what the motive behind the attacks are for except maybe to try and drum up more sales of Chinese products. That won’t happen when it comes to phones and such.
But they might be able to bring some of it back to the good old USA.
Post at 4:20? I mean…8:20?
Apple seems to be handling this fine. They are in China for the long run. Apple knows China is slowly becoming a massive market for their products and will be as diplomatic as humanly possible to main good relations.
With a budget iphone soon for emerging markets such as China, my guess its more about pressure from entrenched players in China starting to to sweat it.