> If this were proved beyond a shadow of a doubt, China would be shown to be guilty of a massive act of corporate espionage. > Surely geopolitical pressure com

> If this were proved beyond a shadow of a doubt, China would be shown to be guilty of a massive act of corporate espionage. > Surely geopolitical pressure combined with the commercial pressure for that not to happen is enough for Bloomberg to retract its story regardless of truth? Perhaps that could also be the source of Apple and Amazon's strong denials. What if they were told on no uncertain terms by the Chinese that if they corroborated Bloomberg's story, they would be shut out from the Chinese market? The PRC could even cripple Apple's international operations by interfering with their manufacturing. I think Tim Cook would have a very hard time doing anything but deny, if confirmation meant writing off a billion-user market and justifying it to Apple's shareholders.