Canalys: Apple's shipments in China grew 17% in Q2 2023

China recently announced a ban on all central government employees from using devices containing foreign technology, such as iPhones, as the country focuses on switching to local alternatives to enhance regional security. In addition, China aims to complete domestic product substitution within the government and state-owned enterprises by 2024.

On the other hand, despite a decline in overall Mac sales, demand for Apple computers in China is growing, with shipments increasing 17% in the second quarter.

According to Bloomberg, the plan to replace government employees with Apple devices was launched last year. But according to Apple's second-quarter shipment data provided by Canalys, it seems that the whole process will take much longer than previously expected. This is because Canalys' report shows that Apple's shipments in China increased by 17% in the second quarter, which highlights the importance of Apple computers in China.

There are many reasons behind the reluctance to fully transition to native alternatives by 2024. First, when it comes to security, Macs have historically been much stronger in this regard compared to Windows laptops and desktops, and while there is malware developed specifically for macOS, the number of these threats is small. Second, Apple has a large presence in the region and can provide top-notch after-sales service for every Mac model, making the repair or replacement process a breeze, although Apple has been criticized for charging high fees for these services.

For Chinese institutions, the current viable option is to issue computers from local brands such as Xiaomi and Huawei to employees, but even so, these computers will eventually run Microsoft's Windows operating system, because the self-developed local operating system based on Linux is not yet competent for daily work. There are rumors that Huawei will introduce HarmonyOS for domestic PCs in 2024, so switching to this platform seems to be the only viable option, but this is just a rumor at present.

Even if China manages to replace all Macs at the state level, it won’t be able to stop consumers from buying all models of Macs, allowing Apple’s business to continue. For now, there aren’t many alternatives that the authorities can turn to, and they don’t offer the same level of security as macOS.