8216;Sorry8217; iPhone maker Apple gets respect in China after tabloid trial

Greater China is Apple's second-biggest and fastest-growing market,with sales up 40.

With its rare apology,Apple Inc went from pariah to praiseworthy in the eyes of China8217;s state-controlled media,a lesson for other foreign firms not to underestimate the speed and power of the government press.

After coming under near-daily media assault for the past two weeks and facing the threat of penalties from two Chinese government bureaus,Apple apologised to Chinese consumers on Monday for poor communication over its warranty policy and said it will change the terms for some of its iPhones sold in China.

Greater China is Apple8217;s second-biggest and fastest-growing market,with sales up almost 40 percent to 6.8 billion in the final quarter of 2012.

The Chinese newspapers that threw brickbats at Apple a few days ago have since changed their tune.

8220;The company8217;s apology letter has eased the situation,softening the tense relationship between Apple and the Chinese market 8230; Its reaction is worth respect compared with other American companies,8221; wrote popular tabloid the Global Times,published by Communist Party mouthpiece the People8217;s Daily.

The Foreign Ministry praised Apple for 8220;conscientiously8221; responding to consumers8217; demands.

8220;We approve of what Apple said,8221; spokesman Hong Lei told a daily news briefing on Tuesday.

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Only last week,the People8217;s Daily issued a scathing editorial on Apple8217;s return policy saying the popular smartphone maker was filled with 8220;unparalleled arrogance8221;.

Apple was first targeted in mid-March by state broadcaster CCTV during its annual consumer day segment. Volkswagen AG ,which was also criticised on the same show,plans to recall vehicles to fix a gearbox problem.

8220;That Timothy Cook had to step up and respond from the CEO8217;s chair shows the importance of China and how critical it is as a market not just for Apple but for every multinational company here,8221; said Kent Kedl,Shanghai-based head of Greater China and North Asia for risk consultancy firm Control Risks.

Foreign companies who are adept at managing media crises at home find it much tougher to navigate China where state media outlets,pandering to different audiences,often have opaque agendas and intentions. Analysts also said that foreign companies need to remember that the bigger the brand,the bigger a target it will be,especially in China.

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8220;What foreign companies need to pay attention to,is that nobody operates in a vacuum,nobody operates only on the good graces of a brand name 8230; Five to ten years ago a report on CCTV would have rippled a little bit,now it goes viral and has a life of its own,8221; Kedl said.