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Apple’s China Problem

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Re: Apple’s China Problem

#11

Post by iplaw »

There should also be an article entitled, "China's Apple Problem." The article could go many different directions, but I like the contrast between the titles.

One thought is that it could investigate the impact of big tech firms capitalizing on the Chinese market from the top down and bottom up. Utilizing cheap labor and manufacturing facilities to develop extremely expensive products which are then sold almost exclusively and at a higher relative price to the upper echelons of Chinese society.

It could also focus on intellectual property concerns which are acting as a catalyst for overhauling the Chinese intellectual property system, court system, and marketplace.

Re: Apple’s China Problem

#12

Post by [deleted] »

marktangotango wrote: post #9
staticelf wrote: post #2

> None of that lock-in exists in China: Apple may be a de facto monopolist for most of the world, but in China the company is simply another smartphone vendor, and being simply another smartphone vendor is a hazardous place to be. Don't get that part. I live in Europe and sure a lot of people has an iPhone but I believe strongly that more people have an Android. Doesn't Android have like 80% or more of the world mark…

The article contradicts itself; it says there's a problem, but in the long term, that iphone being 'status conferring' will ultimately prevail, meaning nullify the "problem", not become dominant necessarily: > iPhone users very rarely switch to Android, while a fair number of Android users switch to iPhone, which means that even in a saturated market Apple’s share should grow over time. > And to be sure, an iPhone is…

[deleted]

Re: Apple’s China Problem

#13

Post by odiroot »

staticelf wrote: post #2

> None of that lock-in exists in China: Apple may be a de facto monopolist for most of the world, but in China the company is simply another smartphone vendor, and being simply another smartphone vendor is a hazardous place to be. Don't get that part. I live in Europe and sure a lot of people has an iPhone but I believe strongly that more people have an Android. Doesn't Android have like 80% or more of the world mark…

In my country of origin (Poland) Apple devices are niche.

In Germany, where are reside they're indeed just another smartphone vendor, mostly for casual users.

Re: Apple’s China Problem

#16

Post by yabatopia »

I don't know if most people really consider the OS to be that important anymore, as the author strongly believes. The Windows Surface Laptop is no threat to Apple because it doesn't run macOS. Samsung's smartphones are no threat to Apple because the phones don't run iOS.

Then he continues with the WeChat factor to explain the shrinking market share of Apple in China. If you consider China the trendsetter in tech, that doesn't bode well for Apple in the rest of the world. It's a clear example that an OS isn't that important anymore.

If, or better when, a platform similar to WeChat emerges in Europe or the US, Apple can't rely anymore on it's OS to sell high margin hardware like the iPhone or Mac. It's not just a China problem.

Re: Apple’s China Problem

#17

Post by iplaw »

ganfortran wrote: post #3

Don't forget that China has biggest and most competitive smartphone market in the world, both in specs and price. iPhone is kinda underwhelming in the past year.

Too bad the phones from ZTE, Huawei, OnePlus, Xiaomi, etc generally suffer from horrendous build quality. From my experience, even their flagship devices feel more like a toy and less like an actual phone. The iPhone and Galaxy, and perhaps a few one offs from other companies, set build quality and craft benchmarks.

Re: Apple’s China Problem

#18

Post by xiaq »

dilemma wrote: post #6

The real problem for Apple in China is that their brand simply isn't as strong as it is in the US. It has nothing to do with WeChat.

I agree with the first part, but the article has a point on WeChat. It is a very good example of how app vendors have stronger brands while smartphones are seen as commodities in China.

Re: Apple’s China Problem

#19

Post by xwvvvvwx »

yabatopia wrote: post #16

I don't know if most people really consider the OS to be that important anymore, as the author strongly believes. The Windows Surface Laptop is no threat to Apple because it doesn't run macOS. Samsung's smartphones are no threat to Apple because the phones don't run iOS. Then he continues with the WeChat factor to explain the shrinking market share of Apple in China. If you consider China the trendsetter in tech, tha…

Isn't the point that weechat has pretty much become the preferred operating system in China?

Re: Apple’s China Problem

#20

Post by kharms »

noja wrote: post #15
ramshanker wrote: post #14

In India, dual SIM support is the best advantage Android has over iPhone. That holds many people away. People are not letting ONE of their number go away.

What do they use the second phone number for?

(1) It's often cheaper/free to call numbers on the same network.

(2) Business phone/family phone.

Edit: speaking from my experience in Eastern Europe. I assume it's similar in India.

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