China has reportedly blocked access to the iBooks Store and iTunes Movies. Attempts to access the services in the region reveal the message "unusable."
The two popular Internet-based book and movie services from Apple have been rendered defunct in China since last week, courtesy of a mandate by a state-based agency. The closure is in a bid to exercise control over the distribution of content said founding partner of Rhodium Group Daniel H. Rosen.
"They are interested in protecting the content that the Chinese people see, policing its national security and favoring indigenous giants such as Huawei, Alibaba and Tencent," Rosen said.
The publication sites sources that are familiar with the issue and reveals that the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television — the Chinese media regulator — was instrumental in the shutting down of the iBooks Store and iTunes Movies.
The two unnamed sources of the publication disclosed that the regulatory body demanded that Apple shut down the online-based services.
"Last week, Apple's iBooks Store and iTunes Movies were shut down in China, just six months after they were started there. Initially, Apple apparently had the government's approval to introduce the services. But then a regulator, the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, asserted its authority and demanded the closings, according to two people who spoke on the condition of anonymity," reported The New York Times on Thursday.
What was the reason behind the ban? Even though officials are remaining mum on the matter, it is speculated that Apple's popular services were closed as they competed with similar offerings from Chinese organizations.
According to The New York Times, the closure could possibly be an extension of the Chinese government's limiting Internet policies. Whether the closure of the iBooks Store and iTunes Movies is setting the stage for broader restrictions on the company's services (such as Apple Pay and other aspects of iOS) is anybody's guess.
The closure — barely six months after the launch of digital downloads in China — will be a major blow to Apple's plans as it attempts to increase its foothold in the region. However, Apple is optimistic that this is a temporary situation and a spokesperson let on that the company is hopeful that it will be able to "make books and movies available again to our customers in China as soon as possible."
Apple Pay, which launched in February in the region, and Apple Music are still accessible in China at the time of writing. Hopefully, the regulators will not think that these services also infringe on the gamut of mobile payment and music streaming services that are owned by local companies.
