Whether it’s via the grey market or by selling their girlfriends, mainlanders are determined to get their hands on the new iPhones.
On Saturday, the same day as the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus were released in Hong Kong, police foiled a suspected plot to smuggle 15 cartons of the phones into China by speedboat.
Officers from Hong Kong Customs and Marine Police found “several suspicious men” loading the boxes into a speedboat at Wong Shek Public Pier and took “immediate action”.
The men fled (so not super-immediate then?), leaving their haul, believed to be worth around HKD3 million, on the shore.
Meanwhile, a student at Shanghai’s Songjiang University is apparently willing to rent out his girlfriend in order to raise enough funds to buy the iPhone 6.
Boxes filled with iPhones left at Wong Shek Public Pier
Photos of him holding a placard – saying that “customers” would be able to go on dates, eat with and study with his girlfriend, but no “funny business” – circulated on social media over the weekend.
His girlfriend is apparently a willing participant in the scheme, which prices her at CYN10 (HKD12.5!!) an hour, or CYN500 (HKD631) for the month. At those prices, he’s probably not going to see his girlfriend until the iPhone 7 comes out.
Worryingly, this is not the first time that tech-crazy Chinese residents have done mental things for Apple products. Last year, a Shanghai couple was charged with human trafficking after selling their baby online for a new iPhone. Ah, so THAT’S why Gwyneth Paltrow called her kid Apple. It all makes sense now.
In 2012, two men were arrested for buying a kidney off a Hunan teenager, who used the funds to buy an iPhone and iPad. Priorities.
China was left disappointed after finding itself snubbed by Apple in last week’s initial roll out of the much desired new models.
Let’s hope they can hold off selling their girlfriends, body parts and offspring until next Saturday!
Photo: Weibo
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