China Expanding Government iPhone Ban

[MacRumors]

China earlier this week banned government officials from using iPhones and other foreign smartphones for work or from bringing such devices to their government offices, and now China is expanding the ban. According to Bloomberg, multiple state agencies and state companies have started telling workers not to bring their iPhones in to their jobs.

The restriction is expected to expand to additional government-controlled organizations in the future as China aims to block foreign technology. China does not yet have a formal injunction, so it is not yet known how many companies may adopt the iPhone restrictions. China has a huge number of state-owned enterprises in power generation, seaport construction, mining, manufacturing, education, and investment markets. Foreign devices have historically been discouraged in sensitive agencies, but China is now taking a firmer stance.

China is an important market for Apple, and the ban could push customers to purchase Chinese-made devices if they are unable to use their personal iPhones for much of the day. Bloomberg suggests that the strictness of the bans could vary from company to company, with some banning Apple products from the workplace and some preventing employees from using Apple devices entirely.

Apple stock has been dropping since yesterday, and it is down over 5 percent as of Thursday.

Article Link: China Expanding Government iPhone Ban

 

[surfzen21]

I guess buy the dip 🥲

 

[erikkfi]

Apple stock has been dropping since yesterday, and it is down over 5 percent as of Thursday.

Good time to buy.

 

[macduke]

I don't think they realize this won't have the intended effect on US politicians.

The right sees Apple as a "woke" company.

The left sees Apple as an evil mega-corp.

All this is going to accomplish is accelerate Apple's withdrawal from Chinese manufacturing.

 

[iZac]

How else will they surveil party members without root access to their Huawei devices?

 

[sparkinstx]

Apple should run a TV ad promoting this as a selling point. "The iPhone is so secure that the Chinese government doesn't allow their employees to bring one to work. Security. That's iPhone."

 

[Born Again]

Tim Apple time to move your manufacturing elsewhere.

I understand Somalia has a large population of kids working. Perhaps that will help maintain your iPhone profit margins.

 

[dwaltwhit]

Apple should run a TV ad promoting this as a selling point. "The iPhone is so secure that the Chinese government doesn't allow their employees to bring one to work. Security. That's iPhone."

Although that would definitely be a powerful and accurate message, that may hurt their long term goal of selling more phones in china.

 

[waquzy]

I wonder if this news feed was posted by Twitter for iPhone in China?!

 

[NEPOBABY]

I don't think they realize this won't have the intended effect on US politicians.

The right sees Apple as a "woke" company.

The left sees Apple as an evil mega-corp.

All this is going to accomplish is accelerate Apple's withdrawal from Chinese manufacturing.

It's just sabre rattling by the CCP. They do this often to manipulate markets and play the patriotism card. It's nonsense. Last week they were yelling at Japan for releasing tritium very slowly over the next 30 years but China releases a hundred times more tritium into the sea in just one year.

They gamble on markets. They manipulate markets. They have sovereign funds. Whenever you see dictator regimes rattle their sabres they are just trying to move numbers up and down.

 

[robertmorris2]

time to get out of china.

 

[deaglecat]

Apple should run a TV ad promoting this as a selling point. "The iPhone is so secure that the Chinese government doesn't allow their employees to bring one to work. Security. That's iPhone."

not sure about that, they are probably worried about a US backdoor to a live mic.

 

[jz0309]

Sanctions have sanctions as a response…

If we want the earth as we know it to survive, we need to talk and work together…

 

[lkrupp]

"China is an important market for Apple, and the ban could push customers to purchase Chinese-made devices if they are unable to use their personal iPhones for much of the day.'

Well, aren't iPhones Chinese-made devices? Just saying.

 

[DelayedGratificationGene]

Apple China relationship is very strong. This is just media FUD fabrication and of course right before iPhone 15 release. The news is so sketchy…..there is a ban but not enforced, some agencies heard about it and some did not, China foreign technology bans have been around for years etc…ignoring the media noise has proven correct time and time again or better yet taking advantage of fabricated FUD is almost all the time the way to go.

 

[kingtj1971]

time to get out of china.

It was time to do that a long time ago. But you know .... bigger profit margins....

 

[lkrupp]

Tim Apple time to move your manufacturing elsewhere.

I understand Somalia has a large population of kids working. Perhaps that will help maintain your iPhone profit margins.

So please tell us which brand of phone you currently own?

 

[kp98077]

Tim Apple time to move your manufacturing elsewhere.

I understand Somalia has a large population of kids working. Perhaps that will help maintain your iPhone profit margins.

are they still made in China? I thought apple moved mfg. of iphones?

 

[deaglecat]

Well, aren't iPhones Chinese-made devices? Just saying.

Chinese hardware assembly to Apple design using a variety of chips from various vendors. Of course, the software (iOS) is all from Apple directly.

Edit and yes, some are now Indian made.

 

[sw1tcher]

How else will they surveil party members without root access to their Huawei devices?

China doesn't need root access when they have control of Apple's data centers and easy access to user data

Apple’s Compromises in China: 5 Takeaways (Published 2021)

To stay on the good side of the Chinese authorities, the company has made decisions that contradict its carefully curated image.

www.nytimes.com

Over two decades, Apple built the world’s most valuable company on top of China. It now assembles nearly all of its products in the country and generates a fifth of its sales there. In turn, the Chinese government has pressured Apple executives to make compromises that flout the values they espouse.

An investigation by The New York Times revealed how Apple has risked its Chinese customers’ data and aided the Chinese government’s censorship. Here are five takeaways:

• Apple stores customer data on Chinese government servers.
• Apple now shares customer data with the Chinese government.
• Apple proactively removes apps to placate Chinese officials.
• Apple banned apps from a Communist Party critic.
• Tens of thousands of iPhone apps have disappeared in China.

Apple should run a TV ad promoting this as a selling point. "The iPhone is so secure that the Chinese government doesn't allow their employees to bring one to work. Security. That's iPhone."

iPhone may be secure. But customer data is not.

 

[DelayedGratificationGene]

are they still made in China? I thought apple moved mfg. of iphones?

They did. Apple has the capability to build its products elsewhere.

 

[iAppleOrchard]

Welp, there goes iPhones in China...

 

[DotCom2]

Tim Apple time to move your manufacturing elsewhere.

I understand Somalia has a large population of kids working. Perhaps that will help maintain your iPhone profit margins.

Don't you think maybe this is why China is doing this? Backlash from Apple trying to move manufacturing to other countries?

 

[DominikHoffmann]

Well, aren't iPhones Chinese-made devices? Just saying.

Should we not be worried ourselves, that the Chinese manipulate the build plans of the iPhone hardware, in order to install eavesdropping capabilities without Apple’s knowledge?

 

[sw1tcher]

are they still made in China? I thought apple moved mfg. of iphones?

Majority are still assembled in China. Some are assembled in Vietnam. The newest assembly plant is in India.