Apple Watch event: Why did Apple choose to demo WeChat?
- 9 years ago
So unless you somehow slipped into a coma for the last 24 hours, you already know that Apple will be bringing a smartwatch to market in mid-April. Like anything else with the half-eaten fruit logo on it, you’re sure to see folks line up for them, and the black market will probably be flooded with folks trying to resell them elsewhere.
But throughout the demo, I noticed something else ... Apple REALLY wants to sell stuff in China.
They could’ve demonstrated the watch’s functions with any chat app, but they chose to demonstrate WeChat in a very stiff and forced manner. Do you know anyone not-Chinese using this app? What’s that all about anyway? Apple also said it will open 45 new stores over there soon and is looking into more partnerships with tech and medical research firms in the Middle Kingdom. What’s with the Zhongguo love-in all of a sudden?
Let’s concentrate on WeChat as an example. The app regularly monitors and censors its users inside China. The problem is there are active users outside of the Great Firewall who have also been censored, even though they’re supposed to be building a separate server farm for that traffic. The U.S., Indian and Taiwanese governments have issued warnings in the past about the possibilities of the Chinese government using WeChat as a wide area spy tool as well.
Even with the separate network being built, why would Apple be so quick to demo an app with that kind of history behind it? It’s not like there aren’t tons of others out there. Why not choose WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger for a demo? Because money, stupid!
If history has taught us one thing, it’s that appeasement will only get you so far. And in the tech game, it can all change in a New York minute. Just ask Google and Microsoft, and a lot of other foreign tech companies that have ever done business over there in the last decade.
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But throughout the demo, I noticed something else ... Apple REALLY wants to sell stuff in China.
They could’ve demonstrated the watch’s functions with any chat app, but they chose to demonstrate WeChat in a very stiff and forced manner. Do you know anyone not-Chinese using this app? What’s that all about anyway? Apple also said it will open 45 new stores over there soon and is looking into more partnerships with tech and medical research firms in the Middle Kingdom. What’s with the Zhongguo love-in all of a sudden?
Let’s concentrate on WeChat as an example. The app regularly monitors and censors its users inside China. The problem is there are active users outside of the Great Firewall who have also been censored, even though they’re supposed to be building a separate server farm for that traffic. The U.S., Indian and Taiwanese governments have issued warnings in the past about the possibilities of the Chinese government using WeChat as a wide area spy tool as well.
Even with the separate network being built, why would Apple be so quick to demo an app with that kind of history behind it? It’s not like there aren’t tons of others out there. Why not choose WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger for a demo? Because money, stupid!
If history has taught us one thing, it’s that appeasement will only get you so far. And in the tech game, it can all change in a New York minute. Just ask Google and Microsoft, and a lot of other foreign tech companies that have ever done business over there in the last decade.
Welcome to TomoNews, where we animate the most entertaining news on the internets. Come here for an animated look at viral headlines, US news, celebrity gossip, salacious scandals, dumb criminals and much more! Subscribe now for daily news animations that will knock your socks off.
For news that's fun and never boring, visit our channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/TomoNewsUS
Subscribe to stay updated on all the top stories:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt-WqkTyKK1_70U4bb4k4lQ?sub_confirmation=1
Visit our website for all the latest, uncensored videos: http://us.tomonews.net
Check out our Android app: http://bit.ly/1rddhCj
Check out our iOS app: http://bit.ly/1gO3z1f
Stay connected with us here:
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/TomoNewsUS
Twitter @tomonewsus http://www.twitter.com/TomoNewsUS
Google+ http://plus.google.com/+TomoNewsUS/
Instagram @tomonewsus http://instagram.com/tomonewsus