Chinese video platforms reportedly axe Apple's 'Hi, Speed' livestream

The livestream for Apple's Oct. 13 keynote was supposed to be hosted by several Chinese video platforms, but it was dropped without explanation.

Apple's keynote kicked off on Tuesday at 10 a.m. Pacific, and was available on various streaming platforms. That includes Apple.com and the Apple YouTube page for international viewers.

But as Beijing-based Bloomberg technology reporter Yuan Gao noted on Tuesday, the video stream appears to have been cut by major Chinese video platforms such as Tencent and Bilibili.

Biggest Chinese online video platforms including Tencent and Bilibili have canceled tonight's livestream without an explanation. First time ever! #iPhone12 #apple @Apple @technology pic.twitter.com/gFGGJ5DfqQ
— Gao Yuan (@GaoYuan86) October 13, 2020

Gao added that the move was made "without an explanation," and this was the first time that the video platforms had cut Apple's stream.

It isn't clear why the livestream was not made available in China, and no further details could be found.

26 Comments

JWSC 1203 comments · 7 Years

About 4 years ago

That’s it China. Just keep going. Just keep giving Apple more reasons to diversify manufacturing out of your country. The sooner, the better. And good riddance.

elijahg 2822 comments · 18 Years

Well Tencent part owns of Epic, so that's probably one explanation...

tommikele 599 comments · 12 Years

JWSC said:

That’s it China. Just keep going. Just keep giving Apple more reasons to diversify manufacturing out of your country. The sooner, the better. And good riddance.

The Chinese are the ones who are in a position to say good riddance to Apple and not the other way around as you claim.

You don't know too much about business, do you?

Alger 29 comments · 4 Years

tommikele said:

JWSC said:

That’s it China. Just keep going. Just keep giving Apple more reasons to diversify manufacturing out of your country. The sooner, the better. And good riddance.

The Chinese are the ones who are in a position to say good riddance to Apple and not the other way around as you claim.

You don't know too much about business, do you?

Apple is the smartest, most valuable company on Earth. China has a ruthless, repressive, totalitarian, imperial government and their society has no regard for pluralism or diversity in any political or cultural aspect of its society. Its leaders are utterly unaccountable to the people they supposedly serve. Chinese "business" is all about the Communist Party in corrupt sweetheart deals with ruthless, robber-baron, nepotistic capitalists. Chinese despise foreigners at home and treat hosts in other countries like garbage. I'd gladly pay a couple dollars more for a phone than have any piece of it made in China.

tommikele said:

JWSC said:

That’s it China. Just keep going. Just keep giving Apple more reasons to diversify manufacturing out of your country. The sooner, the better. And good riddance.

The Chinese are the ones who are in a position to say good riddance to Apple and not the other way around as you claim.

You don't know too much about business, do you?

I do know a few things about business. But I’ll spare others further flippant remarks.

Depending on what source you read, Apple directly and indirectly employees somewhere between 3-5 million people in China. Removal of employment in those numbers would cause significant civil unrest, which the Chinese authorities would very much like to avoid. Regardless, both Apple and China could weather that storm.

Botton line: It is in Apple’s and the democratic world’s interest that Apple reduce its dependence on China. The authoritarian state should not be enabled by the best and brightest companies the world has to offer.