Apple's iTunes Movies and iBooks Store shuttered by Chinese state agency, report confirms
Following the mysterious shutdown of two major Apple internet services in China last week, a report on Thursday claims the closure was mandated by a state agency in an apparent attempt to control content distribution.
Source: Weibo
Citing sources familiar with the matter, The New York Times reports China's State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television shut down Apple's iTunes Movies and iBooks Store last week. AppleInsider was first to report on the development last Thursday.
"We hope to make books and movies available again to our customers in China as soon as possible," an Apple spokeswoman said.
While officials have yet to comment on the matter, the publication suggests last week's closure is an extension of China's restrictive internet policies. Coincidentally, Chinese President Xi Jinping gathered the country's leading tech players, including Alibaba chairman Jack Ma and Huawei chief Ren Zhengfei, to discuss the dissemination of online content.
"China must improve management of cyberspace and work to ensure high-quality content with positive voices creating a healthy, positive culture that is a force for good," Xi said, according to state-run news agency Xinhua.
The Times notes Chinese tech companies offer services similar to Apple's iTunes Movies and iBooks Store, but falls short of claiming the shutdown was meant to stifle competition. It is unclear if the move is a precursor to wider restrictions on Apple services, which include important elements of the iOS platform like Apple Pay.
The shutdown is a blow to Apple, which opened the two services just six months ago as part of a major Chinese product launch that also included Apple Music. China is a key growth market for the iPhone maker, one that company executives including CEO Tim Cook expect to overtake the U.S. in terms of revenue.
Source: Weibo
Citing sources familiar with the matter, The New York Times reports China's State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television shut down Apple's iTunes Movies and iBooks Store last week. AppleInsider was first to report on the development last Thursday.
"We hope to make books and movies available again to our customers in China as soon as possible," an Apple spokeswoman said.
While officials have yet to comment on the matter, the publication suggests last week's closure is an extension of China's restrictive internet policies. Coincidentally, Chinese President Xi Jinping gathered the country's leading tech players, including Alibaba chairman Jack Ma and Huawei chief Ren Zhengfei, to discuss the dissemination of online content.
"China must improve management of cyberspace and work to ensure high-quality content with positive voices creating a healthy, positive culture that is a force for good," Xi said, according to state-run news agency Xinhua.
The Times notes Chinese tech companies offer services similar to Apple's iTunes Movies and iBooks Store, but falls short of claiming the shutdown was meant to stifle competition. It is unclear if the move is a precursor to wider restrictions on Apple services, which include important elements of the iOS platform like Apple Pay.
The shutdown is a blow to Apple, which opened the two services just six months ago as part of a major Chinese product launch that also included Apple Music. China is a key growth market for the iPhone maker, one that company executives including CEO Tim Cook expect to overtake the U.S. in terms of revenue.
Comments
Hey. Xi. Face the truth, Asian brotha. Chinese audiences will pay for Western films.
Here are two ways China could make money on the iTunes Movie store:
1. Produce big-budget Hollywood films that the Chinese audiences are craving, then allow them to be sold on the iTunes Store.
(Example: "Furious 7", produced by China Film Group Corporation). Everyone gets a cut, including the Chinese producers.
2. Let American Cultural Imperialism wash over China like a wave of freedom, then force Apple to pay the government a cut of iTunes Store sales.
Because Communism?
There was a time when this arm of the US government would attempt to pry open foreign markets on behalf of US technologies and companies, but they've done basically nothing at all during the past decade, except to fight for more market access for US cigarettes and coal abroad. Pathetic.
We all want to say something, but what if the cost is death...
I really hope that in the future some country will star a war with China and take over the government, maybe that is only way we Chinese can speak freely on the internet, get access to the real internet and live in a democratic society.
China will definitely fight back against any tariffs or
Hell since the last update the web version sucks. I'm not familiar with Quiller media but AI as it currently stands is anti-advertising. That is this web site performs so badly with Quillers software that it is likely encouraging people to look else where for their web site software.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/23/google-china-news-googles_n_509550.html
Even Google probably has some regrets about it now from a business perspective and has reached out to the Chinese leadership in the past few months in an effort to dip a toe back in the waters with Google Play.
When I used to travel to China on business, I went to one rather remote location that manufactured thousands of varieties of writing instruments (mostly pens). When I spoke to the plant supervisor, I discovered that he ran the factory there but actually lived in Southern California and would go back home every several weeks to his wife! That was very surprising to me.
Personally, I'd rather Apple moved all of their manufacturing and assembly out of China and used 100% robot labor, but China has a lock on the raw materials and components markets.
In other words we must brain wash our people to see things only our way period. Movies and books that show what freedom is like is very negative.
Can't show life outside of China as being anything but negative to keep our brain washing ways alive.