On: FCC commissioner wants TikTok removed from app stores over spying concerns

[andrewstuart]

Google and Apple are both deeply connected to China, so I'm guessing the answer will be, in an indirect way:

"No thanks, we won't be doing that"

[tablespoon → andrewstuart]

> Google and Apple are both deeply connected to China, so I'm guessing the answer will be, in an indirect way:

Apple is utterly dependent on China, but what about Google? It famously pulled out of that market years ago.

[sneak → tablespoon]

The phones that run the Google OS are approximately 100% manufactured in China, just like the phones that run the Apple OS.

[joebob42 → sneak]

Sure, but

1. Google benefits from Android, but ios is apple. Google has other games.

2. Google doesn't make most androids. China would have to ban any company from making hardware designed to run android, not just ban Google from operating in the country, which would affect a bunch of non-google (even non-us) companies at least as much as it would affect Google itself.

[lostmsu → sneak]

While you might be right, I can't really find data to support that claim:

https://blucellphones.us/where-are-samsung-phones-made/ claims Samsung is 50/50 India/Vietnam

Pixel 5 and 6 are made in Taiwan.

[timbit42 → tablespoon]

Utterly? They've been moving away from China. It's better now than it was.

[30944836 → tablespoon]

That's a two way street. It's not that China has Apple over a barrel. There is a MAD aspect to the relationship. Apple is definitely trying to get out of China as a manufacturing dependency. They'd rather not be banned from the market, but they are preparing for that. Let's rip the band-aid off, I say.

[tablespoon → 30944836]

> There is a MAD aspect to the relationship.

No there isn't. China can destroy Apple [1], Apple can probably only bruise China.

[1] e.g. how would Apple fare if iPhone sales dropped to <10% of current levels for years due to lack manufacturing capacity?

[mupuff1234 → andrewstuart]

How is Google deeply connected to China? I know they have an office there, but aren't most of its service blocked there?

[can16358p → mupuff1234]

Hardware of Google's own Pixel and many many Android phones.

[mupuff1234 → can16358p]

Other android phones are also other companies, wouldn't exactly call that deep connection, but a connection nonetheless. Re pixel, that's a pretty small business relatively speaking.

If anything Google probably has more to gain as TikTok is eating an increasing part of the ads & entertainment pie, a business which is much more crucial to Google as of now.