Bloomberg reports that the Chinese government has stepped up its war on Apple, as they have removed Apple products from a list of approved vendors. Just last month saw a Chinese state-run TV channel frame Apple’s location tracking services as a “national security concern.”
Bloomberg, via 9to5Mac:
Ten Apple products — including the iPad, iPad Mini, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro — were omitted from a final government procurement list distributed in July, according to officials who read it and asked not to be identified because the information isn’t public. The models were on a June version of the list drafted by the National Development and Reform Commission and Ministry of Finance, the officials said …
This means Apple products can no longer be purchased by any local or national government departments in the country.
Mark Po, an analyst with UOB Kay Hian Ltd. says Apple was targeted simply because it’s a foreign company that has had success in the country. Po said the Chinese government wants to make sure foreign companies don’t have too much influence in China.
China continues to be an important market for Apple, accounting for 15% of the company’s revenues. Apple continues to expand its footprint in the country, recently opening its 12th Chinese Apple Store.
Apple is not alone in incurring the wrath of the Chinese government, as Microsoft is also in the crosshairs of the government, which has banned purchases of Windows 8 products. (Maybe that’s just smart buying? – Ed.)
Some observers believe the U.S. government is the real target here, as China is upset over claims that the NSA was spying on Chinese leaders, and that U.S. tech firms were assisting those efforts.
