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For over a decade, China has been seeking to reduce reliance
on foreign technologies, asking state-affiliated firms such as banks to switch
to local software and promoting domestic semiconductor chip manufacturing.
Multiple state firms and government departments across at
least eight provinces have instructed employees in the past month or two to
start carrying local brands, the Bloomberg News report said.
Apple did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for a
comment.
In December, smaller firms and agencies in lower-tier cities
from provinces including Zhejiang, Shandong, Liaoning and central Hebei, which
houses the world's largest iPhone factory, issued their own verbal directives,
the Bloomberg News report said.
Reuters reported in September that staff in at least three
ministries and government bodies were told not to use iPhones at work.
Apple's shares were marginally down at $196.50 in extended
trading.
The iPhone maker has been moving production away from China,
too. A report earlier this month said the company was allocating product
development resources for iPad to Vietnam.
Apple was working with China's BYD, a key iPad assembler, to
move new product introduction (NPI) resources to Vietnam, the report had said,
adding that this was the first time the company had shifted NPI resources to
Vietnam for such a core device.
Engineering verification for test production of an iPad
model will start around mid-February and the model will be available in the
second half of next year, the report had said.
Back in October, Chinese e-commerce platforms including PDD
Holdings' Pinduoduo and Alibaba's Taobao were offering deep discounts on
Apple's latest iPhone 15 series, with some selling models up to CNY 900 ($123)
below the retail price.
Analysts say the iPhone 15 has not been selling as well in
China as its predecessor. Counterpoint Research said in October that iPhone 15
sales in China were down 4.5 percent versus the iPhone 14 in the first 17 days
after its market launch.
© Reuters