Stefan Mileschin

Microsoft is regretting copying Apple's warranty tactics in China just as the fruity toymaker falls foul of the authorities.

Now it seems that China's state-run radio has slammed Microsoft's one-year repair warranty policy for its Surface Pro tablet.

Microsoft had decided to follow Apple in its somewhat dubious warranty policy for tablets. In the EU tablet makers are required to provide a two year warranty.

China National Radio, the country's official mouthpiece, moaned that the Surface Pro should follow national law by offering a one-year repair policy for the entire tablet and a two-year warranty for its major parts.

Doug Young, author of the book 'The Party Line: How the Media Dictates Public Opinion in Modern China,' told Bloomberg that it is potentially worrisome. He thought that China National Radio thought that its media rivals had scored a hit on Apple, and thought that it could jump on the same bandwagon with Microsoft.

China National Radio insists it is nothing to do with the Apple stories. Pan Yi, a reporter for the state-run media outlet, told Bloomberg that the story surfaced after listeners started to complain about Microsoft's warranty policies.

China is a huge market for Apple and Microsoft and bad press propagated by the government run media can easily create a consumer backlash.

At the moment Microsoft has not followed Apple and issued an embarrassing apology.

http://news.techeye.net/business/mic...apple-in-china