CHANGE: Apple’s Loudest Supporters Turn Against the Company over Hong Kong.

Late Friday, Apple Insider writer Mikey Campbell revealed that “Apple told Apple TV+ content creators not to besmirch China.” The order apparently came from on high, “by Apple SVP of Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue… and head of international content development Morgan Wandell.” If capitulation to Chinese demands is “a bad look” for Apple, what do you call it when the company preemptively capitulates?

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has long been known as an Apple blogger with great sources inside the company, and usually writes well-informed pieces about the company’s plans and processes. He noted that Greater China “is Apple’s largest market after the U.S.,” which is almost certainly why they “recently pulled the Taiwan flag emoji from some iPhones.” He says that moves underscores “the difficult balance the company must strike in supporting free speech while appeasing China.”

Except that it doesn’t appear to have been very difficult at all for Apple.