September 08 – In China, the government plans to extend a ban on the use of iPhones within government-backed agencies and companies. If China moves ahead with the ban, the unprecedented event will be the culmination of a multi-year effort to eliminate foreign technology use in sensitive environments.

No iPhones

A number of agencies have already instructed staff not to bring their iPhones to work. The message has been passed along from managers to rank-and-file employees.

As no formal or written injunctions have emerged just yet, it’s unclear as to how many Chinese companies or agencies could eventually adopt restrictions around personal devices.

Apple in China

In general, Apple is very popular in China, despite renewed efforts to reduce reliance on American technologies. Apple’s iPhones are among the nation’s bestselling devices, and are prevalent across both the private and government sectors.

Investors are apprehensive about the fact that the world’s most valuable publicly traded company may not be able to do business within the second-largest global economy.

Overseas technology

In 2022, Beijing announced that central government agencies and state-backed corporations would need to replace foreign-branded personal computers with domestic alternatives within two years.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration has sought to limit exports of cutting-edge semiconductor equipment overseas. It has also reduced purchases of chips and related technologies from China.

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