We had recently reported that according to an announcement by the US Department of Commerce, Chinese apps such as WeChat were scheduled to be banned from US app stores this Sunday. However, it seems that WeChat has managed to escape that ban following a US judge’s decision to grant it an injunctive relief.
If you haven’t downloaded TikTok or WeChat yet, you might want to do so quickly. This is because according to an announcement by the US Department of Commerce, both TikTok and WeChat will be banned and removed from app stores in the US starting this Sunday, and will also see the ban of US companies hosting these services.
One of the reasons why companies acquire other companies is for their technology. However, it seems that whoever acquires TikTok might actually end up getting the short end of the stick because according to a report from the South China Morning Post, ByteDance is willing to sell TikTok, but not its source code.
Earlier reports had indicated that if TikTok wanted to keep operating in the US, they would need to sell themselves off to a US company. The app is currently owned by China company ByteDance, although they do have a US base of operations. However, it seems that China is not too pleased with the idea.
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As many of you have heard by now, TikTok could be in trouble if they do not find a buyer for the company. This is due to the US government essentially threatening to ban the app if they are not acquired by a US company over national security concerns as TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a company based in China.
China is a huge market for Apple and pretty much any business hoping to strike it big in the world today. However, it seems that Apple could potentially lose the entire market due to the ongoing trade war between the US and China, where the US government is looking into potentially banning Chinese apps such as WeChat.
The US government has given TikTok until the middle of the month to find itself a buyer if they hope to continue operating in the country. Of course, given how successful TikTok is, it doesn’t come as a surprise to learn that China has introduced a new rule regarding the export of technology to other countries, which in turn could throw a wrench in the US government’s plans.
There are plenty of markets around the world that might not have a population that’s willing to shell out $1,000 for a smartphone. This is why there are companies that purely make cheap Android phones to sell to the masses. Obviously there are compromises when you make a cheap phone, such as using less premium materials or using lower-end hardware.
With the US government considering a ban on popular Chinese social media app WeChat, there are concerns that this ban could have bigger implications than previously thought. For example, it could impact companies such as Apple who have a huge presence in China, and is estimated to potentially lose billions in iPhone sales if the app were to be banned in China,
Unlike Google, Apple has a pretty good relationship with China, and not surprisingly so as Apple considers China to be one of their biggest markets. However, due to the ongoing trade war between the US and China, it seems that those relationships could be put to the test as it now has been reported that there is a chance that the App Store could end up getting banned.
The argument that the US government is using in their bid to ban TikTok is that they claim that the app collects data on US citizens, which they believe poses a risk to national security. It seems that whatever excuses TikTok is making to defend itself might be moot, especially with a recent discovery.
What makes a smartphone popular? There are many things that factor into that, such as design, features, performance, price, and so on. However, an ecosystem is just as important, where if customers are unable to get the apps or services they want to use, then there’s really no point in buying that device.