CEO of Huawei photographed with an iPad at airport security

(Image credit: Cult of Mac | Weibo)

What you need to know

  • The CEO of Huawei has been spotted with an iPad.
  • A photo was taken of Ren Zhengfei handing the device over to be X-rayed at airport security.
  • Last year Ren's daughter was arrested in China carrying an iPhone, iPad and MacBook.

A photo has surfaced on Chinese social media, purportedly showing the CEO of Huawei Ren Zhengfei handing over an iPad to airport security to be x-rayed.

As reported by Cult of Mac, the photo (above) captured the moment Ren handed over the tablet to a security guard to be scanned.

Naturally, it seems a little awkward that the CEO of Huawei has been caught using a device created by one of Huawei's biggest rivals. However, as Cult of Mac notes, Ren has previously alluded to his fondness for Apple and its products. Speaking to Chinese media he confessed that his children prefer Apple products over Huawei's, and that when his family are abroad he still buys them iPhones. Zhengfei has previously praised Apple as "the world's leading company", describing it as his teacher.

With that being said, can you imagine what would happen if Tim Cook was caught in public using a Google Pixel, or a Samsung Galaxy Tab? There would no doubt be uproar. Indeed, in January of this year, two Huawei employees were demoted and had their salaries reduced after a New Year Message from Huawei was mistakenly published "Via Twitter for iPhone". I can't imagine Ren will be facing any punishment after this.

Ren isn't alone however, last month, Amazon SVP Dave Limp was interviewed on Bloomberg about Apple's new Echo Buds whilst wearing Airpods.

Stephen Warwick
News Editor

Stephen Warwick has written about Apple for five years at iMore and previously elsewhere. He covers all of iMore's latest breaking news regarding all of Apple's products and services, both hardware and software. Stephen has interviewed industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. He also specializes in curating and reviewing audio hardware and has experience beyond journalism in sound engineering, production, and design. Before becoming a writer Stephen studied Ancient History at University and also worked at Apple for more than two years. Stephen is also a host on the iMore show, a weekly podcast recorded live that discusses the latest in breaking Apple news, as well as featuring fun trivia about all things Apple. Follow him on Twitter @stephenwarwick9