Updates to note that Apple won't be providing an English version of Tim Cook's letter to Chinese consumers.
Apple CEO Tim Cook wrote an open letter to Chinese consumers, apologizing for misunderstandings about the company's customer service and warranty programs and saying that the company would change the policies for the iPhone 4 and 4S.
"We are aware that a lack of communications...led to the perception that Apple is arrogant and doesn't care or attach enough importance to consumer feedback," Cook said in a Wall Street Journal translation of the letter, which is written in Chinese and posted on Apple's China website. "We express our sincere apologies for any concerns or misunderstandings this gave consumers."
Cook's apology comes after a slew of negative publicity, including a two-hour report by CCTV television, about Apple's warranty programs in China and a front-page story in the People's Daily newspaper saying Apple discriminated against its Chinese customers. Last week, China's State Administration of Industry and Commerce said it's looking into complaints by consumers that Apple doesn’t follow the nation’s rules on product warranties. That came after the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, which sets standards for products in China, told Apple to change its service practices and follow Chinese laws and regulations.
“ It was responding to complaints from consumers who said Apple provides only one-year warranties on the mainboards of its MacBook Air computers sold in China. Chinese rules require manufacturers to provide a two-year warranty on a computer’s major components,” the China Daily reported.
There's been some debates about whether China is really declaring war on Apple – or whether the CCTV report was prompted by competitors going after Apple.
In any case, China remains a major market of opportunity for Apple. Cook, who visited the country last year after pledging to do more inspections of facilities where its products are made, said sales in China rose to about $23 billion last year and accounted for 15 percent of Apple's total revenue. That's up from $12.5 billion, or 12 percent of sales, the year before.
Apple said Cook's letter was addressed to Chinese consumers and for that reason, it won't be releasing an English-language version.
According to the WSJ's translation, Cook wrote that Apple would also improve its customer feedback, give more training to Apple authorized resellers about the company's warranty policies, and more clearly post its warranty policy on its website. Cook also said that about 90 percent of consumers were satisfied with its current repair policy.
