iPhone 6/Plus, anyone?

SteelBird said:

Look like people in China really get crazy with iPhone? What do they like of the iPhone? I think unless I live in China, I will never understand that!!!

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Do you know people in China pay installments to buy an iPhone?

Then there's the popular joke about how one would "sell a kidney" to buy an iPhone?

iPhones are often called "肾5/6". 肾 means kidney, followed by whatever is the number of that particular iPhone model.

Rich people show off their houses and luxurious cars. Poorer middle class also want to show off and somehow make themselves feel superior above others, so they buy an iPhone.

It's not just iPhone actually. Many would save up months and months of salary just to buy a LV or Gucci handbag. And they will carry that handbad with them while they get crammed and squeezed on subway trains or buses.

Many in China buy a MacBook or iMac, and then only install windows on it, because they don't know how to use MacOS.

That's what you get when hundreds of millions of people get rich within one generations' time.

xiabonan said:

Do you know people in China pay installments to buy an iPhone?

Then there's the popular joke about how one would "sell a kidney" to buy an iPhone?

iPhones are often called "肾5/6". 肾 means kidney, followed by whatever is the number of that particular iPhone model.

Rich people show off their houses and luxurious cars. Poorer middle class also want to show off and somehow make themselves feel superior above others, so they buy an iPhone.

It's not just iPhone actually. Many would save up months and months of salary just to buy a LV or Gucci handbag. And they will carry that handbad with them while they get crammed and squeezed on subway trains or buses.

Many in China buy a MacBook or iMac, and then only install windows on it, because they don't know how to use MacOS.

That's what you get when hundreds of millions of people get rich within one generations' time.

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You get the point here! Many people in Cambodia would do the same thing. I always ask them the same question "while you don't know how to use Mac, why bother buying a MacBook?". I think I'd never buy Apple's products because I don't like their iPhone/iPad due to too many restrictions and I don't buy their MacBooks because I don't use Mac. I currently use Samsung's S3 and Toshiba's Portege R930, and is planning for a new Note3 (I won't buy Note4 because too new) plus a Dell XPS15 for larger and touch screen though I prefer Windows 7 over Windows 8.1.

SteelBird said:

You get the point here! Many people in Cambodia would do the same thing. I always ask them the same question "while you don't know how to use Mac, why bother buying a MacBook?". I think I'd never buy Apple's products because I don't like their iPhone/iPad due to too many restrictions and I don't buy their MacBooks because I don't use Mac. I currently use Samsung's S3 and Toshiba's Portege R930, and is planning for a new Note3 (I won't buy Note4 because too new) plus a Dell XPS15 for larger and touch screen though I prefer Windows 7 over Windows 8.1.

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I find using ONLY windows on a Mac is really stupid...

Macs work best with their OS. That's where they really shine, not the bang for your buck.

If they want to use windows, just get a much cheaper and much more powerful PC/Laptop!

I am not too impressed with the new iPhone I was hoping for wireless charging and a few more innovations

I have held it in my hand and find it hard to text with one hand whereas on iPhone 4s it's very easy to test with one hand

xiabonan said:

Do you know people in China pay installments to buy an iPhone?

Then there's the popular joke about how one would "sell a kidney" to buy an iPhone?

iPhones are often called "肾5/6". 肾 means kidney, followed by whatever is the number of that particular iPhone model.

Rich people show off their houses and luxurious cars. Poorer middle class also want to show off and somehow make themselves feel superior above others, so they buy an iPhone.

It's not just iPhone actually. Many would save up months and months of salary just to buy a LV or Gucci handbag. And they will carry that handbad with them while they get crammed and squeezed on subway trains or buses.

Many in China buy a MacBook or iMac, and then only install windows on it, because they don't know how to use MacOS.

That's what you get when hundreds of millions of people get rich within one generations' time.

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Somehow you really need to give credit to (the late) Steve Jobs, being so successfully made the Apple brand associate with the status symbol, and its design philosophy only in the last few years being followed by other brands. You got to admit that while M$ and Windows got a bigger cut in the PC market, Mac just simply have an flair of "upper-class"-ness with it.

Yet, for many they just don't have the aptitude to master both the Windows and Mac OS, so "thanks" to Boot Camp, they can enjoy the status of a Macbook user brings, yet lazily stick to WinXP thanks to Boot Camp.

I'm an avid PC user (even quasi "PC gaming master race", if you'd make me confess after an hour of waterboarding) but when comes to smartphone, I still prefer iPhone over Android or Windows Phone - one that allows you too many settings to fool around and you'd have a long time of debugging in the end (I did play with rooting and ICS for at least 6 months) and Windows Phone's UI simply has a sense of clunkyness you can't shake away, eventhough I like the Nokia designs. Sure, iPhone has less freedom, but less things to go wrong, and when comes to phones you want something that works right off the bat all the time.

MwRYum said:

Somehow you really need to give credit to (the late) Steve Jobs, being so successfully made the Apple brand associate with the status symbol, and its design philosophy only in the last few years being followed by other brands. You got to admit that while M$ and Windows got a bigger cut in the PC market, Mac just simply have an flair of "upper-class"-ness with it.

Yet, for many they just don't have the aptitude to master both the Windows and Mac OS, so "thanks" to Boot Camp, they can enjoy the status of a Macbook user brings, yet lazily stick to WinXP thanks to Boot Camp.

I'm an avid PC user (even quasi "PC gaming master race", if you'd make me confess after an hour of waterboarding) but when comes to smartphone, I still prefer iPhone over Android or Windows Phone - one that allows you too many settings to fool around and you'd have a long time of debugging in the end (I did play with rooting and ICS for at least 6 months) and Windows Phone's UI simply has a sense of clunkyness you can't shake away, eventhough I like the Nokia designs. Sure, iPhone has less freedom, but less things to go wrong, and when comes to phones you want something that works right off the bat all the time.

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I'm really not entirely sure about the first part about Steve Jobs. Yes he's a great man, a great businessman, a visionary leader, a marketing genius, but whether or not Apple became what it is in China today is entirely because of him is up to debate. I'll have to say that that may be part of the reason but definitely not all.

There are many items in China's recent history that played the role of an 'iPhone' during a specific window of development. When reforms just started, having a bicycle and a watch is a symbol of status. You can literally brag to the whole village if you bought one. Later it became things like TV, DVD player, a fridge, an AC, etc. Then you have the pagers, of which the type that can display simple messages are the best and most thought after. In terms of phones, Motorola and Nokia all once held the prestige that Apple enjoys today. So I think Apple's success in making their products a 'fashion statement' or a 'symbol of status&richness' is partly due to the late Jobs and Apple's marketing under him, also partly due to a window that's opened during this stage of China's development.

The Chinese consumers have fast changing tastes and preferences, we'll have to observe longer to see if Apple is able to hold on to this type of prestige.

Regarding phones, I appreciate many strong points of the iPhone, to be frank I even contemplated to buy the iPhone 6. But it really turns me off to have to use iTunes for literally anything and everything. There's just so little flexibility as compared to Android phone. Guess different people have different priorities.

Here is what is happening in Tokyo.

Chinese buyers in Tokyo lead charge in iPhone 6 global debut

TOKYO — Buyers from China, deprived of the latest iPhone launch at home, were Friday among the first in line in Japan to grab the “6” and its new large-screen cousin as Apple hit back at rivals.

Licensing problems in China meant the global rollout went ahead without the huge and lucrative market, in a blow to Apple which had trumpeted its inclusion in the initial wave of the last iPhone launch.

Outside Tokyo’s flagship Apple store in glitzy Ginza, dozens of Chinese were among those waiting in line.

“I’m queuing because it’s not sold in China yet,” said Chen Manyan, a 21-year-old tourist from Fujian province, adding: “It’s expensive, though.”

Zou Zhiyang, 29, a Chinese student studying commerce in Tokyo, said he was intending to buy the maximum two handsets allowed..... to read more

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I am just the messenger, just in case.

SamuraiBlue said:

Here is what is happening in Tokyo.



I am just the messenger, just in case.

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Thought there's a plunge in numbers of Chinese tourists to Japan and not recovered yet...bugger...there I thought I'd have better luck in buying one in Osaka next month...

Actually, I have used quite a number of different phones before and finally settled with a Nokia Windows phone. The first smart phone I used is the Samsung... and frankly speaking... I hated it... hated it very very much. The adapter spoilt within a week, the phone is crap when I try to surf the net. Then my bro, got himself an S4... and long story short... He is glad that he lost that damn phone and had to get himself a new phone (which he went for a Sony).

I used the Sony for a while, hated it too. The feeling is just not there. Finally, I settle for a Nokia, because it is not that expensive and I like Windows phone. I have played with an Iphone before (quite awhile back), liked it... but the price here in my country is notoriously high.

When iphone 6 and 6 plus came out... the service provider is charging 6xx for the basic model with 2 years contract and the retail is selling it at 1k+... that is wayyy over my budget... so I think I will stick with my Nokia.

the antenna bands on the iphone 6 looks like masking tape... yes I like the 5/5S design much more.