4 ms·

Not so much in China. Don't act like they had a choice to make here -- as much as I loathe intensely everything Apple does to appease the Chinese, refusing to

Not so much in China. Don't act like they had a choice to make here -- as much as I loathe intensely everything Apple does to appease the Chinese, refusing to act would likely prompt the government to ban them entirely.

hu3 2y ago
Apple has a choice just like Google: leave China. Incredible that Google managed to be less evil than Apple.
- xenospn 2y ago
  Apple can’t leave China while they make everything there. Divestment takes time and a small fortune.
- intexpress 2y ago
  Actually Google under Sundar’s leadership desperately wants to re-enter China, to the point of already building in backdoors for the Chinese government to spy on Chinese users. See Google’s maybe-cancelled, maybe-not-cancelled project called “Dragonfly”
  - hu3 2y ago
    That's a "maybe Google planning to do something" vs "Apple doing horrible things in China for years".
    - intexpress 2y ago
      It wasn't just planning. Google had/has hundreds of people working on a surveillance system for the Chinese government. The team's mission was to build a prototype quickly and then to be ready to launch for real within 6-9 months. As far as I know Apple isn't forcing anyone to work for them in China. It sucks if they are a bad employer, but if people still want to work for Apple, then I guess they must be better than most alternatives.
      - hu3 2y ago
        It has nothing to do with being forced to work for Apple. It's about Apple bending to China government for money. Even Google left China when they saw the inhuman demands. Apple stayed and is still going strong there at the cost of human rights. I don't know how can people handwave and relativize these horrors with whataboutism.
        intexpress 2y ago
        > Apple has a choice just like Google: leave China. > It's about Apple bending to China government for money. I just think your implication that Google is a more moral actor than Apple is wrong. Google left China due to cyber attacks and the risk of ongoing cyber attacks. Google leadership wants to return to China and is happy to "bend to the China government". But Google employees are unhappy about this and are slowing the return.
effluvium 2y ago
I wonder how the Chinese public would react to losing the ability to use their iPhones etc. Bet a lot of youths would react to loss of their dopamine device.
- exabrial 2y ago
  The Chinese government would likely use their cultural controls to influence youth to buy indigenous products :/ Also iphones are really only ‘good’ inside the us. Everyone else in the world sees them for what they are.

hu3 2y ago

Apple has a choice just like Google: leave China. Incredible that Google managed to be less evil than Apple.

xenospn 2y ago
Apple can’t leave China while they make everything there. Divestment takes time and a small fortune.
intexpress 2y ago
Actually Google under Sundar’s leadership desperately wants to re-enter China, to the point of already building in backdoors for the Chinese government to spy on Chinese users. See Google’s maybe-cancelled, maybe-not-cancelled project called “Dragonfly”
- hu3 2y ago
  That's a "maybe Google planning to do something" vs "Apple doing horrible things in China for years".
  - intexpress 2y ago
    It wasn't just planning. Google had/has hundreds of people working on a surveillance system for the Chinese government. The team's mission was to build a prototype quickly and then to be ready to launch for real within 6-9 months. As far as I know Apple isn't forcing anyone to work for them in China. It sucks if they are a bad employer, but if people still want to work for Apple, then I guess they must be better than most alternatives.
    - hu3 2y ago
      It has nothing to do with being forced to work for Apple. It's about Apple bending to China government for money. Even Google left China when they saw the inhuman demands. Apple stayed and is still going strong there at the cost of human rights. I don't know how can people handwave and relativize these horrors with whataboutism.
      - intexpress 2y ago
        > Apple has a choice just like Google: leave China. > It's about Apple bending to China government for money. I just think your implication that Google is a more moral actor than Apple is wrong. Google left China due to cyber attacks and the risk of ongoing cyber attacks. Google leadership wants to return to China and is happy to "bend to the China government". But Google employees are unhappy about this and are slowing the return.

effluvium 2y ago

I wonder how the Chinese public would react to losing the ability to use their iPhones etc. Bet a lot of youths would react to loss of their dopamine device.

exabrial 2y ago
The Chinese government would likely use their cultural controls to influence youth to buy indigenous products :/ Also iphones are really only ‘good’ inside the us. Everyone else in the world sees them for what they are.