Since Apple Intelligence rolled out last year, one of the biggest iPhone markets in the world, China, has restricted its availability. That, however, is about to change soon as Alibaba recently confirmed that it is in partnership with Apple.
This deal will effectively allow users who have eligible iPhones to access Apple Intelligence features and experiences, including Siri, Writing Tools, and more.
A massive loss in iPhone sales was experienced by Apple when it released the iPhone 16 in China as the flagship device that was marketed as "made for Apple Intelligence." However, the technology ended up being unavailable in the country.
Alibaba Confirms Apple Deal to Bring Apple Intelligence to China
According to the latest report from TechCrunch, the previous reports behind Alibaba and Apple's partnership are now confirmed, and this means that in several months, Apple Intelligence will soon be available in China for locals to enjoy.
It was revealed by Alibaba's chairperson, Joseph Tsai, that Apple has chosen the e-commerce company to do business with to bring their AI to the country.
It was revealed that Apple will no longer need to undergo longer and harder processes to attain regulatory approval to run Apple Intelligence features in the country, with a local partner helping them in that regard.
Tsai revealed that they are "honored" to be working with Apple in this venture and help the company deliver AI experiences to its Chinese users.
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Apple Suffered Massive Losses Because of AI Ban in China
The absence of Apple Intelligence in China has greatly affected the Cupertino-based tech giant's sales over the past months, as regions, where the AI is available, had a significantly stronger performance compared to those who have not yet received the AI.
The company also suffered from intense competition from Chinese companies like Vivo and Huawei, who overtook Apple's spot.
Despite this, Apple believes that Apple Intelligence's arrival will help its case as it competes against Chinese companies in the region.
Apple Intelligence and Its Struggles in China
Despite Apple making Apple Intelligence available to most of its territories worldwide, there are different regions that the tech giant was unable to penetrate, and one of which is China.
Last year, when the news about the tech giant's struggles to bring Apple Intelligence to China erupted, the company assured the world that they are working with regulators to solve the issue.
However, Apple still faced scrutiny in trying to bring Apple Intelligence to AI-eligible smartphones in the East Asian superpower as regulators are adamant about blocking the technology from being used locally. A Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) official previously claimed that obtaining approvals to run foreign AI tech in the country would be "difficult and long" as opposed to partnering with a local company.
With this, Apple was left with no choice but to resort to partnering with a Chinese company to have its AI available in the country. After looking at various local AI companies, Apple has now decided on partnering with Alibaba.
