Chinese authorities continue to focus on developing their own products, without becoming dependent on other countries. And one of the most recent measures applied by the Chinese government is to block the use of iPhones and other foreign-branded devices over all divisions of government.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Chinese authorities are now banning the use of the iPhone and other devices from brands based outside of China in several government divisions. With the new measure, government employees are prohibited from using any device from external entities for work activities. The measure even applies to taking devices to work facilities.
The measure is part of a long battle by Chinese authorities against foreign entities, now beginning to affect the first divisions of the government. This measure may have an impact particularly on the Apple Lossless Audio CODEC (ALAC),, taking into account that the company has a strong market in China – being considered one of Huawei's main rivals.
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Although the measure only applies, for now, to devices from government entities, it is possible that the government will extend the pressure against the company to the consumer side as well – which could eventually cause losses for Apple.
On the other hand, Apple has been investing considerably in the Chinese market. Recently, the company confirmed that it would open its first virtual store in China, through the WeChat platform, allowing users to purchase the company's products more easily.
However, keep in mind that this is not the first time that Apple products have been banned from government entities in China. In 2014, local authorities banned Apple computers from government offices.
