The latest sanction of China’s government may hit one of the largest markets of the iPhone 15 lineup.
The next iPhone 15 series may not get a warm welcome from the biggest market in the East this year. China’s government has now banned the use of iPhones on government work. Officials at central government agencies are also not allowed to bring smartphones from other foreign brands.
According to reports, unnamed sources claim that China wants the nation to cut its reliance on foreign tech. It may not be a big deal on one side since many smartphones today are Chinese brands. However, chips and other parts will be affected by this move, restricting businesses of numerous suppliers across the globe. That means foreign suppliers must open new deals outside China or find new ways to get around this hurdle.
Some foreign companies made changes to appease China’s government prior to this latest development. Apple decided to cut down AirDrop’s “everyone” sharing status to 10 minutes. After that time passes, it will revert to “contacts only.” Apple also hid Taiwan’s flag emoji for iOS users in Hong Kong and Macau.
Even Elon Musk cannot handle losing China. Military and government staff were prohibited from using any Tesla vehicles due to security concerns. Naturally, Tesla responded and said that data would now be stored locally in Chinese cars.
China’s seemingly aggressive actions toward foreign companies are not without precedent. It all began in 2018 when the US set trade barriers against China. It became too hot to handle when the US expanded its trade restrictions on more Chinese companies, including Huawei and ZTE.
The iPhone 15 series is expected to be launched this month. An Apple Event is scheduled on September 13 at 1 am Philippine Time.
