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Tim Cook Bows To China - Report

This article is more than 10 years old.

Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, knows where his company's future growth lies. It's in China. And he wants to keep the people there happy.

Reuters reported Tuesday that Cook apologized for offering a warranty below the national standard for their smart phones and tablets following a rash of consumer and -- even more so -- official complaint in the Chinese state run media.

"We are aware that owing to insufficient external communication, some consider Apple's attitude to be arrogant, inattentive or indifferent to consumer feedback," Cook said in a letter written in Chinese on the company's local website. "We express our sincere apologies for causing consumers any misgivings or misunderstanding."

Reuters made a note of the fact that Cook's apology, while unusual, " highlights the importance of the market for Apple." The newswire reported that Apple would now allow Chinese consumers to trade in improperly functioning iPhones for new ones, with a one year warranty extended on the new phones.  There was no mention about extending the warranties out to two years, however.

On Thursday, China’s State Administration of Industry and Commerce said Apple will face closer scrutiny following complaints by consumers that the California company does not follow the nation’s rules on product warranties. Apple has a one year warranty on hardware. Chinese rules require manufacturers to provide a two-year warranty on a computer's major components.

See: Apple CEO Apologizes To China Consumers -- Reuters