Apple bends to China's will again with latest iPhone feature

Apple usually doesn't tailor its products for specific markets because it likes to standardise as much of its designs as possible to make manufacturing efficient.

The iPhone Xs models unveiled yesterday come with an “eSIM” feature that supports two cellular services and easier switching between carriers, but that technology won’t be available in China, Hong Kong and Macau. Instead, it will offer slots for dual physical SIM cards, which identify and authenticate a user’s phone number.

It’s rare for Apple to tailor its products for specific markets because it likes to standardise as much of its designs as possible to make manufacturing efficient. But the US company has much at stake in China, its largest market after the US as well as the main production base for the world’s iPhones and iPads. Its market position there is now under attack from savvy domestic players like Huawei Technologies Co and Xiaomi Corp, which employ more locally oriented services.