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What good would it do for anyone if Apple were to follow the way Google did? People in China wouldn't have freer access to the non-China internet, or less heavy-handed government intervention, if they had to VPN from Lenovo laptop instead of a Mac. I think this is unhelpful for the ideals that Westerners like to have, specifically because it's a moral crusade.

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Apple is the single most valuable corporation in the world. Their brand is more respected than probably any other, globally.

If they wanted to lead a movement, the corporate world would follow. But they don’t and instead stick to the no-effort-required causes in the West.

Hence my criticism. As I said, if they wanted to just be a faceless megacorp selling gizmos to all buyers, I would find them far less hypocritical.

> If they wanted to lead a movement, the corporate world would follow.

It's an interesting theory, but that didn't happen when Google pulled out.

That seemed more like a “I quit, you can’t fire me!” action and not a coordinated movement.

It makes Apple products highly valuable in China in an economy outside of the government's control. Having a bigger black market in China encourages freedom. It would be a huge deal.

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