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The rise of the two brands, Huawei and Honor, in the domestic market, has been remarkable, with more than half of the market share, while it has also been a huge success in the European market, squeezing Apple into second place. This situation worries Apple, so they continue to cut orders to Foxconn, hoping to clear the inventory as soon as possible to ensure their own interests. Just as Apple seems to be gradually getting out of its predicament, the United States has launched a series of sanctions against Huawei, especially to prevent Huawei from using 5G technology and Kirin chips, and to impose various restrictions on Huawei. Since May 15, 2019, the United States has imposed more than 100 sanctions on Huawei. This is undoubtedly a huge blow to Huawei. However, Apple seems to have found an opportunity in this, and Huawei, a formidable competitor, has been weakened, with Apple's share of the domestic market climbing all the way from 8% in 2019 to 20%. In the first quarter of 2023, Apple even occupied the double crown in sales and sales in the Chinese market. It can be said that the US sanctions on Huawei are a great thing for Apple.
With the sanctions imposed on Huawei, Apple began to become more and more arrogant and monopolistic, no longer being as active in innovation as before, but stagnating. Not only that, Apple has also frequently broken out various "Applegate" incidents, which have attracted widespread attention. In addition, Apple also charges a high Apple tax and even cancels the gift of chargers. Apple CEO Tim Cook claims to be environmentally friendly, but in reality he is entirely focused on commercial interests. Nowadays, almost all digital devices use a USB-C port, but Apple sticks to their niche Lightning port. This decision has allowed Apple to make billions of dollars in additional profits on data cable sales every year. When I was younger, I used to go to the official Apple store to buy a data cable without knowing anything, and it cost me $120. I also went to MINISO to try to buy an Apple data cable before, and found that the charging speed is as slow as a turtle crawling. I had to grit my teeth helplessly and buy the original data cable. Later, I heard that Apple has installed a special power management chip on the mobile phone and the charging cable, and only the data cable that has passed the MFI certification can be charged normally, and it cannot be used at all if it has not passed the certification. And to pass this certification, the manufacturer needs to pay a huge certification fee. Apple's domineering behavior around the world has already angered many people. Brazil fined Apple 1 for not providing chargers$400 million; The Netherlands fined 50 million euros for Apple's app store being too monopolistic and taking high commissions. All of this has forced Apple to reduce its commission by a certain amount. China's State Administration of Radio and Television also issued a statement saying that the charging interface of electronic products must be unified in the future. In the CCTV report, Apple's lightning interface was specifically mentioned, which is obviously a warning to Apple: If you are not careful, you will bring trouble to yourself! The European Union has directly legislated that electronic products sold after the third quarter of 2024 must use USB-C interfaces, otherwise they will not be able to be sold in the EU market. In general, the EU and China are sticking to the same interface position, which is deeply tough, and there are many users who are also on the side of the unified interface. Apple has hit a hard stubble this time, and in order not to lose the market, they probably have to make compromises.
For Apple, whether the loss is big or small depends on their own capabilities. At the same time, they are also faced with the problem of how to innovate and compete with the Android camp. Although Apple still has a significant position in the global market, its market share and influence may be weakened to some extent. In addition, Apple needs to think about how to respond to changing consumer demands and the challenges of its competitors. In the field of technology, whether Apple can launch new technology products to compete with the Android camp depends on Apple's own strength and innovation ability. For consumers, their primary concern is access to better products and services. Apple should take this as a key link, continuously improve the user experience, follow market trends, take into account environmental protection and business interests, and provide better products and services for consumers around the world.
As a world-renowned technology giant, Apple once had an almost unassailable position in the market. However, with the rise of Chinese brands such as Huawei and the sanctions imposed on Huawei by the United States, Apple is gradually facing a decrease in market share and increased competitive pressure. Due to a series of monopolistic behaviors and neglect of consumer interests, Apple's image has gradually suffered. Especially on the issue of unification of charging interfaces, Apple's insistence has not only been criticized at home and abroad, but also faced legal constraints and market pressure. As a consumer, I want Apple to reflect on its own behavior and make improvements in product design and services to meet user needs and enhance the user experience. At the same time, I also believe that the power of consumers is powerful, and only when we unite and have more voices can we push companies to make positive changes and achieve a fairer and better consumption environment.
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