China’s net users react to Apple’s massive Didi investment

You would have to have been living under a rock or locked inside a sensory deprivation tank to have missed last week’s news about Apple’s US$1 billion investment into Didi Kuaidi. We’ve already shared a lot of our own thoughts on the short-term and long-term implications of the deal. So now, let’s take a look at what people in China have been saying about it.

Needless to say, the story was as big in China as it was elsewhere, dominating headlines across the tech media. It was also a hot discussion topic, generating tens of thousands of comments on related articles across sites like Sina Tech and Tencent Tech. Here’s what China’s net users had to say.

A lot of people talked about Uber. “This has given [Didi] a big advantage over Uber,” a Sina commenter wrote. One of the most popular comments on Tencent: “I really didn’t expect Apple to invest so much in Didi. Uber is totally finished now.” Others were simply surprised by Apple’s choice. “Damn, investing in Didi over Uber? The wealthy are really headstrong,” wrote a Sina commenter.

Many commenters, apparently feeling a bit concerned about Uber’s position, took to the comments to show their support. “I love Uber, support Uber!” wrote one Tencent commenter. “Didi is garbage,” numerous other commenters echoed.

Some commenters debated the inherent merits of Didi’s model.Some argued that cabs are superior: “There are pros and cons to Didi, but actually what I’m really looking forward to is the taxi industry reforming and gradually being perfected. Didi is very convenient, but a lot of ride-hailing private-car drivers are very unprofessional. They don’t know many roads, and won’t go anywhere too far afield. That’s something taxi drivers are much better with.”

Others weren’t buying that for a second: “[…] Have you forgotten those days of waiting in the cold? Have you forgotten standing on the roadside, waving your hand as innumerable taxis drive past, ignoring you? Now you just tell the driver where to go, tell him to call when he’s arrived […] and then you can walk slowly downstairs. These days if you wait five minutes for a car you’re complaining like it’s a disaster!”

Photo credit: Pixabay.

But of course, most of the discussion was about Apple. A few people are paranoid about the national security implications of companies like Apple and Uber now having access to so much data on the movements of Chinese people, but most were happy about Apple making such a big investment in a Chinese firm. “Thank you Apple, I trust you will bring benefits to China’s people,” wrote one.

Others saw the investment as a sign of Apple’s diminishing confidence in its own ventures. “Looks like Apple has no faith in its own business,” wrote a Tencent commenter. “It’ll have to count on some pocket money from investments to keep going.”

“This shows Apple doesn’t have any strategic direction,” wrote another.