Apple CEO upbeat on Chinese app developers

Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, talks with students at a school in Ya'an, Sichuan province. CHINA DAILY

Chinese app developers have the potential to repeat their global success stories in the era of spatial computing with Apple Inc's augmented reality device Vision Pro, its Chief Executive Tim Cook said.

"We already have a group of developers working out of Shanghai (for Vision Pro). We've already seen some of the things coming out and they're going to blow away. We're so excited about it," Cook said in an interview with China Daily at an Apple store in Chengdu, Sichuan province, earlier this week.

Apple has a lab in Shanghai to provide developers with handson experience to test their apps on Apple Vision Pro hardware and get support from Apple engineers.

This was Cook's second trip to China this year, highlighting the importance of the country to the US tech heavyweight as a crucial market, key supply chain center and an innovation engine.

Chinese app developers, Cook said, can repeat their global success stories on the company's visionOS platform in future, just as they have already done on Apple's iOS app store.

"I can't wait to see who and how they will be successful (in the future)," he added.

The remarks show that Chinese developers are not only important to Apple's current iPhone ecosystem, but are also key to the company's future innovation ecosystem of AR, experts said.

China has advantages in terms of its market, technology and talent, and its innovation-driven development strategy will help the nation become more important to the growth of global tech giants such as Apple, said Bai Ming, deputy director of international market research at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation.

On Wednesday, Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao met with Cook in Beijing, where they discussed Apple's development in the country and the Sino-US trade relationship, the Ministry of Commerce said in a statement.

China will firmly promote high-standard opening-up and continue to expand market access, the ministry quoted Wang as saying in the statement.

China welcomes multinational companies, including Apple, to achieve win-win development, it added.

Apple values the achievements made in its 30-year development in China and supports the governments of the United States and China in strengthening communication and dialogue, maintaining and developing stable bilateral economic and trade relations, and creating a favorable environment for practical cooperation between enterprises, Cook said.

Luxshare Precision Industry, a Chinese electronics company, has told China Daily previously that it is preparing to make the Apple Vision Pro, which will be available in the market early next year.

Luxshare has landed Apple's order for the AR device and will be the latter's contract manufacturer, like Foxconn is for iPhones.

The achievement showcases Chinese suppliers' prowess in advanced manufacturing and their important position in Apple's supply chain.

As Apple celebrates the 30th anniversary of its presence in China, the company said it is expanding its commitment to strengthening communities in rural China with an additional 25 million yuan ($3.4 million) contribution to the China Foundation for Rural Development.

This brings Apple's donation to the foundation to 150 million yuan during the past decade, according to the company.

The fresh funding will help farmers learn technical skills to grow their businesses, and support students and teachers in rural classrooms by providing technology and digital education resources, Apple said.

"Education is one of the most important things that we can collaborate on here," Cook told China Daily. "My background is from rural education. And I've always thought that if you could have rural and urban education be equal, that would make a remarkable difference to the rural community."