Apple Invests $1 Billion in Chinese Ride-Sharing Company Didi Chuxing

[honglong1976]

That's how things work in China. Chinese goverment block half the app store. Apple go over to find out why it's unblocked. End up buying a business for $1billion (aka Chinese goverment say we can let your app stores work but you need to buy this business). Apple store unblocked again. For that amount they should have bought Xiaomi.

 

[niun]

I wouldn't mind seeing how much of that 1b goes to ChinaGov as a tax.
The cynic in me thinks this is nothing more than cash stuffed in a brown envelope with a whole lot of spin attached.

 

[randyj]

Why doesn't Apple invest in American companies?

They do. They are doing a share buy back of Apple shares at the moment!

 

[RedOrchestra]

China - will certainly be the country where Apple will manufacture their electric car, should such a car ever rise off their drafting table.

 

[DaveWotzit]

How totally off the wall! Is this the "Price" to pay for the re-instatement of iTunes movies and iBooks??

 

[62tele]

Ahh... and I was wondering how they were going to improve my user experience with great new products. Now I know! It's ride sharing in China.

 

[niun]

China - will certainly be the country where Apple will manufacture their electric car, should such a car ever rise off their drafting table.

If this be the case then it won't be long before the much cheaper knock-off version hits the market. Maybe before the Apple Car hits the streets!

 

[mrhick01]

Yep, it's sad really and not unusual at all. You saw companies boycotting places with laws against same sex marriage and then building a factory in a place where being gay results in imprisonment. Or celebrities ranting about bigots who don't like certain aspects of homosexuality and then go vacation in place where you can be put to death for being gay. I realize these places are very foreign in a lot of respects, but it puts getting offended over a cake in perspective. In a lot of places, things are way worse.

I don't get why you guys are fussing with the feigned outrage. Capitalism trumps all, and to think otherwise is breathtakingly naive.

This is business. Apple is a multinational corporation. The Didi investment is probably a combination of intelligence-gathering about the Chinese market and "pay to play."

 

[69650]

Cook has lost the plot.

 

[Mactendo]

That's how things work in China. Chinese goverment block half the app store. Apple go over to find out why it's unblocked. End up buying a business for $1billion (aka Chinese goverment say we can let your app stores work but you need to buy this business). Apple store unblocked again. For that amount they should have bought Xiaomi.

Xiaomi value is $45 billions. Xiaomi bought Segway company last year.

 

[69650]

I don't get why you guys are fussing with the feigned outrage. Capitalism trumps all, and to think otherwise is breathtakingly naive.

If Capitalism trumps all why does Capitalist USA owe Communist China trillions of dollars in debt? Both systems are fundamentally flawed.

 

[peterdevries]

Christ, all of your being so 'Chinaphobic' makes me cringe. America is freaking doomed if you're so xenophobic and scared of Chinese that all you can do is think they are inferior to you. The amount of ignorance one this forum regarding Chinese is ridiculous.

http://www.wired.com/2015/12/tech-innovation-in-china/

So, go on, tell me more how China lacks innovation, or technology, or anything else. I'm fully convinced is all stemming from ignorance or fear.

There was a thread a few days back about Huawei. Everyone seems to know or conclude that they just steal and do not innovate. Well, I visited their R&D center in Shanghai a few years back (about 10.000 people work there - ONLY IN R&D), and the things I saw were mind-blowing (and that was just the already patented stuff). People just don't know and choose to go with a popular rhetoric if they can't think or won't for themselves.

It is astounding how many American people have never left their country, let alone their state and still think they can have an informed opinion of how the world works. One can read and read and never understand what China or any other country for that matter are about. It is indeed a combination of ignorance (mostly that) and plain fear.

Example: In school I had to learn all major cities in the American states and still know them. It amazes me that so very few people in the US know whether The Netherlands is a part of Europe. Why is The Netherlands important to the US some of you here might ask: e.g. we are the people that founded New York. Many of its boroughs have names that are derived from our cities: Brooklyn - Breukelen, Harlem - Haarlem.

 

[Thunderhawks]

What has Communist china invented?

You can't say the Mao jacket wasn't a fetching outfit in the 60s.

Still going strong btw, modernized.

 

[ProjectManager101]

Hey people, those complaining about how illegal immigration taking our jobs... here is another example of the actual reality. Apple is the one financing jobs in China.

 

[Thunderhawks]

There was a thread a few days back about Huawei. Everyone seems to know or conclude that they just steal and do not innovate. Well, I visited their R&D center in Shanghai a few years back (about 10.000 people work there - ONLY IN R&D), and the things I saw were mind-blowing (and that was just the already patented stuff). People just don't know and choose to go with a popular rhetoric if they can't think or won't for themselves.

It is astounding how many American people have never left their country, let alone their state and still think they can have an informed opinion of how the world works. One can read and read and never understand what China or any other country for that matter are about. It is indeed a combination of ignorance (mostly that) and plain fear.

In school I had to learn all major cities in the American states and still know them. It amazes me that so very few people in the US know whether The Netherlands is a part of Europe. Why is The Netherlands important to the US some of you here might ask: e.g. we are the people that founded New York. Many of its boroughs have names that are derived from our cities: Brooklyn - Breukelen, Harlem - Haarlem.

The US education level has always been fascinating.

When I got to the US in 1979 and told people I was from Germany, they asked me: from the East or the West?
Duh!

Besides never leaving the country, many don't even get to travel all over the US to see different states with different people. The knowledge they get from TV is so biased that they don't even get it. R

Reading many of the MR comments it's obvious. They are repeating the FOX news views.

Very few read international newspapers or watch world news, let alone check out facts.

I get it USA is big and there are enough problems here, BUT the world has become one global economy and thus it is just smart to learn what is going on in the world.

It may come in handy at times.

 

[nt5672]

I don't care about China. But I do care about my laptop, now can we get at least a million dollars or so for a top of the line laptop with the latest CPU/GPU, multiple ports, removable media, and a screen size larger than a toy?

 

[samcraig]

Sounds like a bribe to me.

I wasn't going to be as blunt as that - but essentially. It sounds like Apple is looking for a long game advantage here for something they want to do - so in "good faith" - they've put some money up front into the economy there.

 

[stemll]

I'm more than a little uncomfortable that a company that brags so much on its progressive views is so tied to a country that is known for oppression and human rights violations.

I know but until they move their headquarters they're going to continue to be tied to the US

 

[Michaelgtrusa]

There was a thread a few days back about Huawei. Everyone seems to know or conclude that they just steal and do not innovate. Well, I visited their R&D center in Shanghai a few years back (about 10.000 people work there - ONLY IN R&D), and the things I saw were mind-blowing (and that was just the already patented stuff). People just don't know and choose to go with a popular rhetoric if they can't think or won't for themselves.

It is astounding how many American people have never left their country, let alone their state and still think they can have an informed opinion of how the world works. One can read and read and never understand what China or any other country for that matter are about. It is indeed a combination of ignorance (mostly that) and plain fear.

In school I had to learn all major cities in the American states and still know them. It amazes me that so very few people in the US know whether The Netherlands is a part of Europe. Why is The Netherlands important to the US some of you here might ask: e.g. we are the people that founded New York. Many of its boroughs have names that are derived from our cities: Brooklyn - Breukelen, Harlem - Haarlem.

What was china begging the U.S and Europe to do in 1964? Help them! We loaned them money and the killed millions in the 70" and 80" china is a tech transfer from the west! Can you see that? They were built with American know how and skill! Innovation my a##!
[doublepost=1463142845][/doublepost]

You can't say the Mao jacket wasn't a fetching outfit in the 60s.

Still going strong btw, modernized.

Yea he was great at killing 87 million right into the 1980" while the west was doing business.

 

[5105973]

I know but until they move their headquarters they're going to continue to be tied to the US

Ooh, burn! True, that.

 

[RedOrchestra]

I'm more than a little uncomfortable that a company that brags so much on its progressive views is so tied to a country that is known for oppression and human rights violations.

And we are all complicit in turning our blind eye to China.
[doublepost=1463143065][/doublepost]

They do. They are doing a share buy back of Apple shares at the moment!

That is just too funny.

 

[iZac]

...

Few if any Millennials care, or even know what communism is.

Unable to comprehend, too complacent to educate themselves, too deep in a life of entitlements, they'll never know the difference until it's too late. If they're ever hit by the slap of reality, it's going to be the biggest wake up call of their lives.

I'm almost certain you're talking about the second generation Tuhao Chinese kids, aren't you?

 

[ericwn]

Why doesn't Apple invest in American companies?

Because Apple has offices and customers worldwide. They do what makes mist sense for them.

 

[latweek]

AAPL has become a giant hedge fund disguised as a tech company. I'm not sure they even care how obvious its become.

 

[mrhick01]

If Capitalism trumps all why does Capitalist USA owe Communist China trillions of dollars in debt? Both systems are fundamentally flawed.

Communist China still operates in the world of capitalism, and they trust the Full Faith and Credit of the United States economy and government enough to invest in a couple of trillion dollars worth of bonds.