Patrick McGee

Apple in China, Patrick McGee’s 2025 book, shifted coverage from Apple’s routine product-and-platform cycle toward scrutiny of the company’s dependence on China.

Who they are

Patrick McGee appears in this coverage as a Financial Times journalist and author whose reporting and commentary are closely tied to Apple, its leadership, supply chain, platforms, and strategic position in China. His most explicit recent role is author of Apple in China, alongside a Financial Times Q&A with Dina Srinivasan.

The recent arc

Coverage was most concentrated in 2023’s first two quarters, when McGee was repeatedly associated with Apple’s news cycle: Tim Cook’s reduced target compensation, the rollout of Apple Pay Later, and the WWDC 2023 announcement. The same period also put Apple’s prospective AR/VR impact in view, with McGee noting that startup growth projections depended on Apple validating the technology; later Vision Pro coverage reinforced that broader industry debate.

The more recent phase is narrower but more consequential: Apple in China became the focal point in 2025. A May Q&A characterized the book as examining Apple’s role in enabling China’s rise, while Apple said it was “full of inaccuracies.” August coverage of Apple’s additional $100 billion US-manufacturing commitment, intended to reduce iPhone-tariff exposure, brought the book’s supply-chain and trade-war themes into direct contact with current events.

The tension

The central tension is Apple’s success as a global hardware company versus the strategic vulnerability created by its China ties. McGee’s book argues that Tim Cook led Apple into the heart of Trump’s trade war, and Apple disputes its account; that dispute sits alongside evidence that Apple is seeking to move more supply-chain activity to the US. The coverage also connects Apple’s power to platform and ecosystem questions involving the App Store, Epic, iMessage, and Google.

Why it matters

If Apple’s US manufacturing commitments and tariff concerns continue to shape its strategy, McGee’s China-focused analysis will remain relevant beyond a single book cycle: it frames supply-chain geography as a question of corporate leverage, political exposure, and product economics. The unresolved issue is whether Apple can meaningfully diversify without weakening the operating model that helped make the iPhone business and its wider ecosystem so durable.

Related: Apple · Tim Cook · iPhone · App Store · AAPL