Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, Inc. is in China to discuss problems with government officials in the biggest growth market the company has. The problems range from the treatment of local workers to the contested trademark of their iPad tablet. This is Cook’s first trip to China since he has taken over the CEO position from the late co-founder of Apple Steve Jobs.
On Monday, Cook met with the mayor of Beijing and visited one of the two stores Apple has in China’s capital. A China spokesperson for Apple said, “Tim is visiting with government leaders in China. The market is very important to Apple and we plan even more investment and expansion here.”
Cook’s agenda has not been released to the public, other than saying, he would meet additional government officials during the week. He was photographed by fans with a smile on his face at a company store in Beijing. He needs to try to find solutions to a number of problems in China, which is the most important manufacturing hub for Apple and its biggest potential market.
China is the largest mobile device market in the world and is the second biggest overall market for Apple. However, the company has lost ground to Samsung in the smartphone sector and still has not introduced the latest version of its world no. 1 selling tablet iPad 3. In the last three months of 2011, Apple garnered 75% of the tablet market in China, while its smartphone, the iPhone, ranked just fifth in the country.
