Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, recently made a trip to China to open a new flagship store in Shanghai and strengthen the iPhone’s presence in the Chinese market. During his visit, Cook made deals to tailor the iPhone experience better for local customers.

Here are some key points from Cook’s visit:

– Cook praised the local manufacturers that make the iPhone and its green manufacturing possible.
– Apple plans to release the Vision Pro mixed reality headgear specifically for the Chinese market later this year.
– To enhance the iPhone experience in China, Apple has decided to use Baidu’s localized chatbot, Ernie Bot, on its iPhones going forward.
– Baidu has been developing its AI-powered chatbot service since 2019 and announced Ernie 4.0 last October, which will be the basis for Apple’s Earnie Bot in China.
– Even before this partnership, Apple’s Siri virtual assistant searches defaulted to Baidu in China instead of Google.
– Samsung also adopted Baidu’s large language model for AI duties on its Galaxy S24 series in China.

Both Apple and Samsung have seen a decline in their market share in China recently. It remains to be seen if these local AI adaptations will help stabilize their positions in the Chinese market.

Overall, both companies are making efforts to cater to the specific needs and preferences of Chinese consumers through partnerships with local tech giants like Baidu. This strategic move could potentially help improve their standing in an increasingly competitive market.