Apple invests $ 1 billion in Didi Chuxiong, China Uber competitor

Apple has confirmed in recent hours to have invested $ 1 billion in Didi Chuxing, a Chinese company that provides a ride hailing service similar to that run by Uber. This is confirmed by the CEO of the Cupertino, Tim Cook, which, as reported by Reuters, said that the investment will allow Apple to understand some of the dynamics of the Chinese market. It is still unclear the ultimate purpose of the financial maneuver, but objectively Apple chooses to focus on the automotive market and on that of the so-called shared economy.

Cook has confirmed that the conditions for future cooperation between Appe and Didi Chuxing and said:

We are making investments for various strategic reasons, including the opportunity to understand better some segments of the Chinese market. Of course, we believe that this will lead over time a great return on our invested capital

Didi Chuxing, which dominates the segment of the Chinese ride-sharing with 87% market share and over 11 million daily performed races, has confirmed that the amount invested by Apple is the single largest investment ever received.

For the moment, the role of Apple in the automotive segment continues to be tied to CarPlay, the system that allows interaction between your smartphone and the infotainment system on board, said Cook, who does not hide at the same time, the interest against the activity carried on by Didi Chuxing and trends in the Chinese economy:

The agreement reflects our enthusiasm for their growing business and our continued confidence in the Chinese economy in the long run

It appears quite clear desire to Apple to begin to diversify the asset's traditional business that has made it so popular worldwide. Declining sales of the iPhone represents a significant signal, and there have been, in the past, various rumors that have suggested a willingness to explore more deeply the automotive market.

The decision to invest in the sector, starting from China is not accidental taking into account the importance of the market, not to mention that the move of the House of Cupertino could help to create more favorable conditions to resume a dialogue with the Chinese authorities on issues such as the reactivation of 'iBook Store and the iTunes Movie Store, recently blocked in the populous Asian continent.

Opportunities for collaboration between Apple and Didi Chuxing could be many, just think of the alliance announced last April and formed by the hailing of laughs with Lyft, Grab and Ola enabling Chinese users to pay for a taxi in the States, in India and southeast Asia using the app Didi Chuxing and its currency. huge installed base that uses the transport services of the four companies to which Apple may have access in the future.