Apple apologizes to Chinese for iPhone

SAN FRANCISCO — Apple Inc. Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook has apologized for the company’s iPhone warranty and repair policies in China after criticism over customer service in its second-largest market.

Apple is changing its practices to offer full replacements of older iPhones experiencing problems, Cook said in a letter posted on the company’s Chinese website. Apple also vowed to improve training, customer service and monitoring of stores authorized to sell its products in China.

“In the process of studying the issues, we recognize that some people may have viewed our lack of communication as arrogant, or as a sign that we didn’t care about or value their feedback,” Cook said. “We sincerely apologize to our customers for any concern or confusion we may have caused.”

The apology came after the People’s Daily, the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party, criticized the iPhone maker for poor service, including a March 27 commentary that said “Destroy Apple’s ‘Incomparable’ Arrogance.” China’s central government also said it planned increase scrutiny of contracts with electronics makers, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

Some consumers in China had complained that Apple repaired broken iPhones instead of replacing the devices. While Apple said 90 percent of customers had been satisfied by the fixes, the company also said it would replace those handsets with new ones and offer a one-year warranty.