‘Apple in China’ book convincingly argues that the iPhone could be killed overnight

Based on more than 200 interviews with former Apple execs and engineers, Patrick McGee’s Apple in China – The Capture of the World’s Greatest Company ought to leave Tim Cook laying awake at night. It makes a convincing argument that the iPhone could be killed overnight should the Chinese government wish it. This is a book reminiscent of Walter Isaacson’s Steve Jobs in its careful research and the detailed inside stories it tells about Apple. The company’s official line is that it’s full of inaccuracies, but the case it makes is an incredibly persuasive one … The beginning of the story is, of course, well-known. By early in 1996, Apple was losing money on every product it sold. The company’s treasurer warned the board that the company would run out of money in around May of that year. To save itself, Apple sold its own manufacturing plants and made the decision to outsource all production. While the company tried a number of different countries along the way, it wasn’t long before pr ... Read full article.