These mounting US-China tensions could have more concerning ramifications. As one of the few American tech companies still operating in China, Apple has become the target of anti-American sentiment.
Some of this backlash has played out in more Chinese consumers opting for domestic brands. It doesn’t help that these local companies, such as Huawei are already offering AI features.
“It’s the most competitive market in the world,” Cook said on the most-recent earnings call when asked about China headwinds. He’s right: As Apple’s dominance over the smartphone market has eroded, Huawei has gained the top spot. And Apple’s closest competitors are all Chinese.
HOW TO PLEASE DONALD TRUMP, BEIJING AND CHINESE CONSUMERS?
Bringing Apple Intelligence to China would be a good move, but it amounts to just one play in a new game of 4D chess. Apple will have to find a way to please Trump, Beijing, and notoriously frugal Chinese consumers.
On the plus side, if anyone in the tech industry was up to such a task, it’s Cook. He’s laudably managed US-China relations over the years by being as shrewd as a serpent and as innocent as a dove, as the biblical saying goes. He’s one of the few US business leaders with an active Weibo account, connecting directly with the Chinese public.
