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Xiaomi Takes Aim at Apple With New MacBook Pro and iPhone X Rivals
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Which is why, if you do buy an Apple in China, you put Windows on it. I've seen more MBPs with Windows 7 on them than macOS. Chinese don't like macOS, they prefer Windows. If they could put Android on an iPhone, they probably would. Chinese don't find value in the iOS ecosystem. As long as they have access to a few key APPs they don't give a crap about what ecosystem they use.
Go on TMall.com and look at computer monitors. Chinese vendors will past a picture onto a monitor to make it look like the monitor has zero bezels. Here is a good example:
You need to be super careful not to be duped by false marketing pictures. They do include accurate descriptions of the monitor in the details, but Chinese vendors are notorious for false marketing like the pic above. Wouldn't surprise me if Xiao Mi does the same thing in its promotional materials.
Can't understand the 'copy' fuzz. Before Mix 2 they had the Mix, well well before the first iPhone 8 impression were out. I heard it may have wireless charging - years after Samsung and Nexus. Apple is usually a few years late with their innovations. Remember 3G, then LTE? How about NFC?
Exterior hardware looks awesome. I have no interest in ever running Windows again though. So regardless of price difference I’m sitting okay with my late 2013 MacBook Pro.
That is just as untrue in China as it is here in Japan. It's not a matter of LIKING an OS. It's a matter of how you are trained or brainwashed to think. People here in Japan are oblivious to the greatness of MacOS because they are brainwashed to think that the only kind of PC is one that runs silly Windoze. But when you actually give them a serious look at MacOS and actually show them what it can do, they are blown away. They are blown away because for the first time in their computing life, they've begun to think outside the box. If only more computer users would do that, we might be able to reduce the number of Windoze addicts across the globe.
But until Apple restores the SD card slot, legacy USB3 ports, a decent sized battery, MagSafe, a good keyboard, a trackpad not dependent on anti-palm rejection software, and the glowing Apple logo on back, I don't see Apple luring a lot of these poor Windoze-using souls into the Mac faithful.
Like I said before, Johnny Ive needs to go. Even those of you who still love the man surely know we need "fresh blood" in any company. He's been in Apple too long and now has way too much power, and it shows.
The problem is, everything iOS or Windows can do, domestic APPs do better and are localized. Show a Chinese what they can do with WeChat and they are blown away. Chinese do not care about iOS or macOS or Windows. They care about being able to access domestic APPs.
So, let me rephrase, Chinese don't care about their OS. They prefer Windows because they're use to it, but Chinese don't care about what macOS can do vs. Windows. Their first question will be 'How do I use WeChat? Where is Alipay? Where's TaoBao?'
Can iOS or Windows (by itself with no other APP installed) be used to pay your utilities? Order a cab? Rent a bike? Order movie tickets? Book train/hotel/plane tickets? Order takeout? Transfer money?
Literally, one app (WeChat) does all this. Chinese don't care about what iOS has to offer, they don't care about being able to download Fandago to buy movie tickets, or Kayak to buy travel tickets. Instead of having fifty apps that specialize in one thing, Chinese use one APP: WeChat. Chinese hare no need to buy into Apple or Microsofts ecosystem when they have WeChat.
Not sure what the motivation is in Japan, but in China it's price of the OS and the software - which is zero. The concept of paying for software is alien to the Chinese mentality.
They have a ripped Windows OS and can't get updates. They are plagued by malware and viruses. When I stick my USB stick onto a Chinese PC I can be sure that it will get infected (I quarantine with Linux).
PS: I didn't like Windows 7, but Windows 10 is great. No problems...
Certainly not because 小米 has yet another phone. They lose market share because the gap between low-end phones and high-end phones gets smaller and smaller. Plus they have no phone designed for the Chinese market. In China dual-SIM is quite a must. And mostly, the Apple image is fading with plenty of working class people having iPhones. Huawei is quite in fashion over there.
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Will they still be using WeChat 10 years hence? 20 years hence?
While you're right at this point in time about WeChat in China, the fact remains that tech changes. And if someone can grab their attention with new tech (hardware or software) in a language they understand that can equal and best the functionality they have now, they probably would change to it (their government allowing). That's why companies must continue to innovate to survive.
Apple needs to innovate beyond Johnny Ive.
The problem is, Apple refuses to differentiate their products. They refuse to release a phone or platforms that would cater to the Chinese market. Apple needs a killer APP for Chinese, but services and software development (outside of main OS) are not what Apple is known for. Tech companies in China are all service based, with hardware being an value added not vice versa.
I don't disagree that if someone can grab their attention with software (i.e. services) Chinese will switch, but Apple has made its money off of the App Store not in its services. Granted, its growing its services, but the lack of iTunes Movie store in China is huge. The lack of AppleTV is huge. I personally believe that the Chinese Government is afraid of letting Apple flex its muscles in China and push out domestic industries. They're following an 'infant industry' protectionist policy with phones and technology.
Because Apple has patents on rectangular phones?
Of course, with the iPhone X lack of bezels, wireless charging, and the myriad other software features (e.g. "Night Shift" pull-down notifications, etc.) you could say it's sad they're blatantly ripping off designs from others who've done it years earlier.
"18:9 Full Screen Display"
Why not just say 2:1?
It's called marketing...when you see 2:1 you automatically think 2 in 1 which makes you think of a different product. 18:9 is better for marketing purposes and isn't the iPhone Xtinct using 18:9 as well or Samsung's aspect ratio which is 18.5:9.
The Chinese have been shameless in copying EVERYTHING. That's why their products are sold mostly within China.
Some company should create a computer like a Mac: include the things people like, excude the things people complain about, and choose components that that would allow an easy Hackintosh build.
I believe it had to do with language support. Particular applications for Japanese input were Windows-specific (such as Ichitaro).
What is it you show people that has people "blown away" in MacOS? "think outside the box"? Corny marketing terms. It's just an OS, it doesn't do much on its own. Who knows, maybe the Japanese were tired of being embarrassed at school or work with the obnoxious startup sound.
I run MacOS, Windows 7/10, and some Linux distros. Honestly, Windows runs much, much faster on my MBP than MacOS does. They all have their pros and cons but ultimately are all just tools for running software. Software dictates which one I use at any given time.
Certainly agree with you on the rest of your post though. It wouldn't have been any trouble to leave a normal USB-A port and MagSafe was one of their unique selling features.
You must consider after-sales and QC. These companies are most popular in China, India and other developing markets. Within a year or two these devices develop defects and many can't be fixed. They have ****** after-sales service.
What puzzles me, why is the Samsung Galaxy an exact iPhone copy, whereas the LG Prada (which came out before the first iPhone) is totally different?
Very interesting and I've heard the same, that China is very app-centric. Which may be the natural progression of things and why so many tech companies, even those normally associated with physical products, are pivoting to services.
Edit: I've also heard it's the same for many African nations. It's the app, not the hardware or OS.