Apple has finally seen the light and admitted that they are an arrogant Company; a point we have been telling readers for years.The admission, which was made in Chinese, has seen the US Company wilt under a sea of complaints after the Chinese media attacked its repair policies.
A statement issued by Apple on Easter Monday said the complaints had prompted “deep reflection” and persuaded the company of the need to revamp its repair policies, boost communication with Chinese consumers and strengthen its oversight of authorised resellers.
In China, the main TV station, CCTV, and the ruling party’s flagship newspaper, People’s Daily, have slammed Apple by accusing them of being arrogant, greedy and “throwing its weight around”.
Apple has been doing this in Australia for years. On several occasions we have gone to Apple with legitimate questions about their products or the way that the Company does business only to fobbed off.
Hiding behind instructions from the US, Apple Australia has moved from being an engaging company to being one that does not hold press conferences and openly refuses to answer questions about service issues or the performance of their products.
Apple responded to the Chinese attacks with an apology from CEO Tim Cook.
“We’ve come to understand through this process that because of our poor communication, some have come to feel that Apple’s attitude is arrogant and that we don’t care about or value feedback from the consumer,” Cook’s Chinese statement said, as translated by The Associated Press.
“For the concerns and misunderstandings passed on to the consumer, we express our sincere apologies.”
News Ltd publications said that the People’s Daily newspaper ran an editorial last Wednesday headlined “Strike down Apple’s incomparable arrogance.”
“Here we have the Western person’s sense of superiority making mischief,” the newspaper wrote. “If there’s no risk in offending the Chinese consumer and it also makes for lower overheads, then why not?”
Chinese observers accused People’s Daily of gross hypocrisy and pointed out that the newspaper had maintained a stony silence when Chinese companies were implicated over food safety, pollution and other scandals.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has apologised after state media slammed it as an arrogant, Western company taking advantage of Chinese consumers.
Popular business magazine Caijing said its readers identified a long list of Chinese companies that also abuse Chinese nationals, including state banks that lend to those with political connections while stiffing ordinary savers with low rates on deposits; a government oil company that sets gas prices and other rates as it sees fit; and state telecom providers notorious for their lack of customer service.
“If media is going to go after Apple, let’s hope they spare some thought for those big Chinese communications companies and other monopolies, the ones that enrich special interests in the name of being publicly owned,” Cai Tongqi, a lawyer from the eastern province of Jiangsu, wrote on Weibo.
