Apple in China
Apple in China by Patrick McGeeby Patrick McGee
Hacker ApprovedShares rank 9 of 152 nonfiction books by recommenders
Readers call it a page-turning, detailed account of how Apple worked with Chinese manufacturers and the political situation there. One critic calls it motivated.
Readers call it a page-turning, detailed account of how Apple worked with Chinese manufacturers and the political situation there. One critic calls it motivated.
17 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 16
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 94%
Recommended in 7 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 16 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 16 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 7 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Detailed account of Apple's China operations
“It's an undisputed damning account of how Cook was used by China to train millions of Chinese electronics manufacturers”
Comment from 21 Apr 2026 in “Tim Cook's Impeccable Timing” “how they actually made the iPhone work was just an amazing read”
Comment from 21 Apr 2026 in “Tim Cook's Impeccable Timing” “meticulously detailing how Apple countered Xi's”
Comment from 3 Dec 2025 in “Apple to beat Samsung in smartphone shipments for first time in 14 years” Well written, engaging page-turner
“Apple in China is a great book and shows how good China is on focusing on quality”
Comment from 3 Jun 2026 in “CT scans of BYD car parts” “how they actually made the iPhone work was just an amazing read”
Comment from 21 Apr 2026 in “Tim Cook's Impeccable Timing” “"Apple in China" was pretty good! I can second that one.”
Comment from 26 Dec 2025 in “Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?” - Comment from 7 May 2026 in “BYD overtakes Tesla and Kia as the best-selling EV brand in key overseas markets”
- Comment from 18 Jul 2026 in “Is this the end of the once-mighty GoPro?”
Covers politics and Apple-Beijing dealings
“it better describes the anti-foreign political situation in China at the time and what it meant to the smartphone industry”
Comment from 2 Dec 2025 in “Apple to beat Samsung in smartphone shipments for first time in 14 years” “It's an undisputed damning account of how Cook was used by China to train millions of Chinese electronics manufacturers”
Comment from 21 Apr 2026 in “Tim Cook's Impeccable Timing” “meticulously detailing how Apple countered Xi's”
Comment from 3 Dec 2025 in “Apple to beat Samsung in smartphone shipments for first time in 14 years”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Seen as biased or uncritical
“Patrick McGee / Apple in China is motivated writing.”
Comment from 3 Dec 2025 in “Apple to beat Samsung in smartphone shipments for first time in 14 years” “The book is frankly retarded American glazing.”
Comment from 21 Apr 2026 in “Tim Cook's Impeccable Timing”
Other nonfiction books people recommend
The four most recommended other nonfiction books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Cuckoo's Eggby Cliff Stoll | 40 | 0 | 100% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Amusing Ourselves to Deathby Neil Postman | 36 | 0 | 100% | 9 | 1 yr3 owners | Approved |
| The Anxious Generationby Jonathan Haidt | 24 | 12 | 67% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Bullshit Jobsby David Graeber | 20 | 12 | 63% | 8 | — | — |
| Apple in Chinaby Patrick McGeeThis page | 16 | 1 | 94% | 7 | — | Approved |
What people said
14 of the 19 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Reading Patrick McGee's "Apple in China" made me think otherwise.”
“The book is a good page-turning read.”
“Apple in China is a great book and shows how good China is on focusing on quality”
“"Apple in China" by Patrick McGee is a good read.”
“I would earnestly suggest reading Apple In China”
“The book is frankly retarded American glazing.”
“how they actually made the iPhone work was just an amazing read”
“It's an undisputed damning account of how Cook was used by China to train millions of Chinese electronics manufacturers”
“Honorable mention to Apple in China which I did not complete and might eventually.”
“"Apple in China" was pretty good! I can second that one.”
“Patrick McGee / Apple in China is motivated writing.”
“meticulously detailing how Apple countered Xi's”
“it better describes the anti-foreign political situation in China at the time and what it meant to the smartphone industry”
“The book is interesting in showing both a lack of early awareness of this weakness”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.