Driving with Dunne

How China Captured Apple. Patrick McGee, Author, Apple in China

Aug 28, 2025
Patrick McGee, a Financial Times journalist and author of *Apple in China*, shares insights into how Apple became intricately linked with China. He discusses the 'China arc' and how Chinese companies gradually extracted knowledge from Apple, making them fierce competitors. The conversation highlights Apple's massive investment in supplier training and the immense pressure on engineers in China. McGee warns of the rising capabilities of Chinese competitors and delves into the implications for Apple's future amidst escalating geopolitical tensions.
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INSIGHT

Apple's Massive China Investment

  • Apple invested roughly $50 billion per year training Chinese suppliers to ensure flawless iPhone quality.
  • That scale of corporate investment rivals historical national aid like the Marshall Plan in impact.
ANECDOTE

Engineers Living On Factory Floors

  • Apple sent manufacturing design teams to China who trained suppliers and installed production processes and software.
  • Engineers worked extreme hours and sometimes slept at factories to meet product deadlines.
ANECDOTE

The Yellow Cows Scam

  • Organized scalpers called "yellow cows" exploited warranty and resale gaps, hollowing parts and confusing Genius Bars.
  • The scam led CCTV to publicly attack Apple and forced Apple to serialise parts to motherboards.
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