China Bans Apple MacBooks And iPads From Government Agencies

As Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) continues to make inroads into Asia and other emerging markets, one place you won’t see its products is within the Chinese government. Apple hardware, including iPads and MacBooks, has reportedly been left off Chinese government procurement lists amid security concerns.

The iPad, iPad Mini, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro were among 10 Apple products left off the government list distributed by the National Development and Reform Commission and Ministry of Finance, according to unnamed officials speaking with Bloomberg on Wednesday. The products were previously on a list distributed in June.

Apple joins a number of U.S. companies that have been excluded from Chinese government procurement lists as tension between two countries continue to arise due to continuing accusations of cyber-espionage and hacking.

China banned government computers from using Microsoft Corp.’s (NASDAQ:MSFT) Windows 8 in May, also citing security concerns. Antivirus products from Symantec (NASDAQ:SYMC) and Kapersky Lab have also been excluded from procurement lists in favor of Chinese antivirus vendors.

The ban of Apple products applies to central and local government alike, Bloomberg reported.

While Apple didn’t make the cut, products from Dell, Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE:HPQ) and Beijing’s Lenovo (HKG:992) continue to be listed on the procurement lists.