How to say Mea Culpa in Mandarin! Companies from Apple to Volkswagen learn it the hard way

Tim Cook is no Sun Tzu. The Apple CEO's apology to Chinese buyers was no scintillating display of thrust and parry that the old maestro of war would delight in. Cook said sorry as plainly as possible: he addressed "Respected Chinese consumers" and said it all in Mandarin. It was the quickest, easiest way to deflect a sustained attack from the state media. CCTV and the People's Daily had attacked Apple's shorter warranty period and shoddy repair service of iPhone 4 and 4S in China. A headline was unequivocal: "Destroy Apple". So was the message: strike at its "unparalleled arrogance".

Arrogance is something that Apple and China - both of them fetishise centralism - understand. But Cook has his own tech kingdom to protect - China is Apple's second-largest market, accounting for $22.8 billion in sales in fiscal 2012 - and kowtowing is the better part of valour. It may be worrying to some that Cook is making a habit of saying sorry. He had earlier apologised for the wayward Apple Maps. But it is the Chinese media that has made a practice of extracting regret from Western companies: Volkswagen for faulty gearboxes and KFC parent Yum Brands for chicken that tripped on too much antibiotics. The media watch is all very good, but how can we not be bemused: CCTV and the People's Daily talking about consumer rights is a bit rich.