Apple’s CEO meets with Miao Wei, chief of the Ministry of Industry and IT

Jan 9, 2013 09:29 GMT  ·  By

A photo taken at an Apple reseller in China has been released to the press depicting CEO Tim Cook and Phil Schiller paying a rare visit to a non-official retail store in the company’s sales chain.

It makes sense for the Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing to tag along with the CEO on his visit to the world’s largest market for consumer technology.

Apple is planning an expansion in the country, with five new stores opened (for a total of 11) in recent months.

In the first days of his second visit to China in less than 10 months, Cook supposedly met with Miao Wei, the chief of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

The duo reportedly discussed China’s information technology industry, mobile communications, and potential lucrative businesses for Apple in the country.

Apple spokeswoman Carolyn Wu tells Bloomberg that no other details are available regarding the CEO’s visit in China.

However, Cook is known to be very interested in the working conditions at Foxconn, Apple’s primary assembly partner.

The CEO is also likely to pay a visit to China Mobile, the country’s largest wireless operator which currently doesn’t carry the iPhone.

Potential talks between the Apple CEO and the head of China Mobile may include the launch of a new version of the iPhone.

According to the Wall Street Journal, people with knowledge of Apple’s plans say the company wants to roll out a low-cost iPhone model that is particularly geared towards the massive Chinese market.

The phone would do away with all the expensive materials currently employed by the iPhone 5 and would probably come in a new design altogether. No other technical specifications have been offered.

As far as the aforementioned photo is concerned, Cook was reportedly visiting Dragonstar, an Authorized Apple Reseller located in the upscale China World Shopping Mall, in Beijing. The building is physically attached to the China World Trade Center.

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Tim Cook and Phil Schiler visiting an Apple reseller in China
Apple CEO Tim Cook in a meeting with Miao Wei, head of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology
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