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1、APPLE V TENCENT IN CHINA APP WARS 1. ECONOMIST：APPLE V TENCENT IN CHINA APP WARS IN MOST of the world, the success of Apples “walled garden” of proprietary software has two elements. First, its attractive services: users tend to be addicted to its iTunes music shop and iBooks store. Second, the comp
2、lexities involved in switching from an iPhone to another device without losing music fi les or having to re-download apps. Neither factor works as well in China. There, many of Apples services have not taken off . The American giant missed the boat on music sales in the country, reckons Matthew Bren
3、nan of China Channel, a technology consultancy. Its sales of books are blocked by the government. In addition, few would disagree that its messaging service is a fl op and that Apple Pay, its mobile-payment off ering, is irrelevantits market share on the mainland is only1%. A “genius” employee at an
4、 Apple store in Shanghai admits sheepishly that “iCloud doesnt work very well in China.” And switching is a doddle in China, observes Ben Thompson of Stratechery(某个调查机构), an industry newsletter. Nearly everyone uses WeChat, an app made by Tencent, one of Chinas three big internet giants, for everyth
5、ing from social media to payments. Through WeChat it is easy to transfer photos, messages, contacts and payments history maintained on that app from one device to another. No wonder that Apples retention rate among iPhone users, which tops 80% in America and Britain, is only 50% in China. That does
6、not bode well for a key market. Apples revenues in greater China have nearly doubled since 2013, to $48.5bn in 2016, thanks in part to its mainland app store. App Annie, a research fi rm, reckons it is the worlds biggest Apple app store, as measured by revenue. But Apples results for the fi rst quar
7、ter of the year showed total sales falling by some 14% in greater China compared with a year ago, the fi fth consecutive quarter of decline. Canalys, a market-research fi rm, estimates that shipments of iPhones on the mainland plunged by a quarter in the first quarter. Hostilities have now broken ou
8、t with Tencent. The two had co-existed happily: since richer Chinese prefer iPhones to Android phones, these devices are where WeChat made much of its money. But earlier this year, WeChat launched “mini-programs,” a form of lightweight app that operates independently of Apples app store and robs it
9、of revenues. Apple, meanwhile, had disliked but tolerated WeChats practice of allowing users to reward generators of content (for example, opinion columns) with small tips. These bypass Apples own payments mechanism. On April 19th Apple obliged WeChat to shutdown tipping. Another front in the fi ght
10、ing is that the American fi rms mainland app store accepts Alipay, a payment service from Chinas Alibaba, but not WeChats payment off ering. Broadly, WeChat is going from being a social-media platform (akin to Facebook and WhatsApp rolled into one) to becoming a mobile-operating system, putting it o
11、n a collision course with Apple. “There is a war going on,” says Mr. Brennan. Who will win such a clash of titans? Rumours are swirling among tech experts about what might happen next. Apple is trying to fortify its position. It is investing heavily in its large network of stores and research labs o
12、n the mainland; and it plans to include China in the fi rst wave of countries in which its highly anticipated new iPhone will be launched later this year. But Apple is on the defensive, where as Tencent is fi rmly on the attack. Mr. Brennan speculates that Tencent might even launch a WeChat phone, w
13、hich would make Tencents off ering completely independent of the iPhone. Anywhere else in the world, it would be foolish to go up against the Californian giant （加州巨兔）. In China, though, the native firm may have the advantage. As Connie Chan of Andreessen Horowitz, an investment fund in Silicon Valle
14、y, puts it: “Loyalty is much, much stronger to WeChat than to Apple in China.” Points： 1. “iCloud doesnt work very well in China.” 2.Nearly everyone uses WeChat 3.Apple total sales falling by some 14% in greater China compared with a year ago 4.earlier this year, WeChat launched “mini-programs,” a f
15、orm of lightweight app that operates independently of Apples app store and robs it of revenues. 5.On April 19th Apple obliged WeChat to shutdown tipping. 6.Wechat a social-media platform to a mobile-operating system 7.There is a war going on, 8.Californian giant（加州巨兔）-Apple 9.Loyalty is much, much s
16、tronger to WeChat than to Apple in China. Chinese tech giant Tencent has chosen the 10th anniversary of the unveiling of the iPhone to launch a rival to Apples App Store.WeChat, Chinas most frequently used mobile app, today started offering “miniprograms” within the app from third-party developers. Users can now book a shared ride with Didi, order a gift from JD.com, or rent a bicycle from Mobike and use over 100 other “apps within the app” without leaving the WeC
