Is anybody shocked by this, really? Tim Cook knows very well that he will suffer absolutely no penalty for grandstanding against the U.S. government; in fact, it earns him and his company nothing but good press. Meanwhile his customer base will stand by his side (even as they obediently vote to re-elect the same government that's making the demands) and the government whose electoral base is those same customers will huff and complain but in the end do nothing.

But standing up against the Chinese government? Those guys may actually respond in some fashion. That principle actually carries some financial risk. Can't have that. China gives the orders and Cook's knees can't hit the ground fast enough.