back to article New twist in China Apple hardware ban riddle: THE TRUTH at last?

Chinese officials are denying reports that the state has banned the purchase of Apple hardware for government IT projects. The Middle Kingdom's bureaucrats told Reuters that Apple computers and gadgets are not on its list of approved products – but not because the Communist nation blacklisted Cupertino over security concerns …

  1. Cipher

    China's not so subtle way of saying...

    Play ball, have access to this market.

  2. Lt.Kije

    Can't understand what the Americans are getting all huffy about.

    They have a long, long history of putting up regulatory hurdles designed to keep competitors products out their markets.

    1. Pascal Monett Silver badge

      Yes, but that is the point. Normally it's the Americans putting up the hurdles, they're not used to having to jump over them.

  3. David Webb

    Ha

    You know you're in trouble when China's government talks more to the press than you do.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Given that an iDevice has a "secret" file uploader that bypasses the iCloud encryption and network sniffer built in, then security concerns would seem justified.

    1. Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

      Please explain

      Are you trying to say that everything you do in an 'i' device is sent to Apple so that they can use it for <redacted> means? And that there is no way to stop or disable it.

      I thought that you had to do some things to the phone first in order to 'enable' these features such as trusting a host computer and connecting the deivce to it.\

      1. chr0m4t1c

        Re: Please explain

        I think what he means is the same thing that comes up every 18 months or so when some fresh people discover that iOS can send crash dumps to Apple.

        Every iOS device asks you if you want to allow this behavior when it's first set up and you can turn it off and on in the settings (General->About->Diagnositcs & Usage).

        Nevertheless, this is evidence of Apple secretly spying on everyone, because: Apple.

        I don't know what this "network sniffer" is meant to be, but it seems to me that a network sniffer could be a FUD way of referring to normal WiFi discovery or possibly normal service discovery once connected to the network.

        1. Oninoshiko

          Re: Please explain

          'tis better to be quietly thought the fool then to open one's mouth and remove all doubt.

          There are any number of pieces of network capture software (for example, wireshark). They record every packet sent over the network. Apple has been caught having one installed on consumer devices. No matter what, it shouldn't have been there, but I do not attribute to malice what is adequately explained by incompetence.

  5. Marcus Aurelius
    Happy

    The Truth?

    You can't handle the truth!

  6. veti Silver badge

    Turf

    Apple probably didn't do itself any favours with China, by picking a fight with Samsung.

    Yes, (South) Korea is currently US-aligned, but China's government is nothing if not long-termist, and they see Korea as, historically and inevitably, part of their empire. It may take another 20 years or 50 or 100, but sooner or later it'll fall back into, if not their direct dominion, at least their sphere of influence. Like Macau, or Hong Kong.

    So it follows that a Korean company is, by default, their "client", even if it never says or does anything to seek that status. (And frankly I wouldn't be surprised if Samsung did do something on those lines.)

    1. MyffyW Silver badge
      Black Helicopters

      Re: Turf

      Wow @veti - that's some sweep of history. Have an up vote for making me think. I'm off to find my copy of the Tanaka Memorial.

  7. J__M__M

    China has a patent office?

    what on earth for?

  8. Nifty Silver badge

    Surely it's about time that Apple moved it's production out of China?

    Or does it fear a backlash on import restrictions for the lucrative Chinese consumers?

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