Apple is incomparably arrogant, says China

The country’s quality inspection office turned the focus of its attack on the service Apple provides to Chinese consumers once they have bought one of the tech company’s products.

Failure to improve its after-sales service would leave the Silicon Valley company facing “severe repercussions”, the government agency warned.

China is Apple’s second-biggest market, after the US, and gaining in importance as the West becomes more saturated. The country is also home to most of Apple’s manufacturing base.

Accusations of poor after-sales service comes a fortnight after China Central Television, a state-run broadcaster, claimed that the company did not treat Chinese consumers as well as those in the West.

The broadcast was to mark “consumer rights day” in China but prompted a fierce backlash from internet users, who argued that Chinese consumers were subject to far worse. Apple dismissed the accusation, saying it provided an “incomparable user experience”.

Analysts said the apparently co-ordinated attacks may be an effort by Beijing to dent the company’s reputation among Chinese consumers in favour of domestic phone makers.

It is an extra headache for Apple chief executive Tim Cook as he works to deliver a new product that will build on the success of the iPod, iPhone and iPad.

Mr Cook, who has visited China twice in the past year, expects the country to overtake the US as its biggest market.