Pema

Why don't crooks steal from Samsung or Huawei or Ooppo? Probably because it is junk to start with and you can't flog junk.   

JamesCude said:

Tik-tok has zero inherent value. If all creators decided to leave tomorrow it would be completely worthless. It would be like buying an expensive piece of land just for a car that happened to be parked on it.

Not quite. 

Like buying a piece of land and then finding out it is a cousin to Chernobyl.   

zone said:

The real question is how this will impact Apple’s phone sales if TikTok goes dark permanently. What are your thoughts?

Good point. ICYMI - Cook has already brown-nosed up to Trumpy by donating a cool million to his campaign. Apple had massive sales pre-TikTok. What Cook & Co are more worried about is how Trumpy's hostile stance against the Chinese government on their car imports. The Chinese have upended the car industry in case you didn't notice. They have been waiting for a beachhead. EVs gave them that beachhead. For years European, Korean, Japanese and American cars have sold millions of ICE cars in China. 
Along comes Musk with his Tesla. The Chinese are smart, tactful and strategic - they learnt the trade from Tesla's giga factory in China. They figured EVs are where they can have their day. They couldn't compete against the likes of Toyota, Kia, Honda, BMW, Audi, Ford, GM etc. etc. on their own turf, i.e. ICE cars. 
All the while they have been quietly piling up the mineral resources that they need for their EVs and BAM! they launched not one, but nine brands on Europe, Australia and the US. 
VW is in trouble, Stellantis is in trouble as other the US car manufacturers. 
If Trumpy blocks the Chinese cars with Tariffs, they will retaliate with what matters most to Apple: phones. And that's what Tim & Co are worried about. 
Trumpy thinks he can bully his weight around the world. Sure he can, but, he is going to get pushed back big time. Where it hurts US companies. All American imports from China. 
Next time you are strolling around Walmart or Costco look and see how many brands of products are stamped PRC.
Also, remember that iPhone sales are dependent hugely on China sales. 
So the issue is not TikTok the issue is Tit for Tat. You tariff us, Xi tells Trump we will block you big time. 

M68000 said:

I don’t know how most people have time for it.  I don’t have time or interest.  I already use Facebook (cautiously and sparingly) as well as YouTube.  

the whole saga is a total waste of time. But for those zombies that still rely on the app, can't they get around the ban by using a VPN?

Apple is donating 500 unsold Vision Pro devices.