Yesterday, Apple announced a special edition (PRODUCT)RED iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, to go with its current (PRODUCT)RED line-up that Apple promotes as a way for customers to support HIV/AIDS charity (RED).
The red handset, which launches on Friday, is the first time Apple has included its flagship phone in the promotional line-up, but the PRODUCT(RED) iPhone branding does not apply across all regions.
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As noted by TechCrunch, internet users have spotted that the (PRODUCT)RED branding is missing on the regional China website, but all other details including launch date and time remain identical, indicating that Apple is promoting the red iPhone in the country simply as an additional colorway.
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Sex remains a controversial issue in China, where traditional values frequently clash with more liberal Western attitudes as the country's economic boom increasingly opens it to outside influence. In the past, AIDS and HIV have been characterized in China as a consequence of contact with the West, but recent legislation has been more progressive and a lot more successful in treating the AIDS/HIV problem in the country.
Despite the gradual change in attitudes, it's likely Apple took the decision to drop the (PRODUCT)RED affiliation in order to avoid possible tension with the Chinese government, following recent incidents in which the company has fallen foul of China's restrictive internet policies.
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Top Rated Comments
(View all)I guess taking moral standpoints on certain issues only goes so far when it stands to affect your sales..
Tim!?!? Where is your super progressive stance now? Oh that's right...can't risk upsetting the Chinese buyers by admitting AIDS exists! I'm sure their government has told them AIDS isn't real just like LGBT isn't real. Funny how Tim can drop his values at the drop of the hat for some money. I could respect the guy if he held to his guns, but no. I bet if you asked Tim about Tianamen Square while he was in China he'd echo the governments opinion of it being western propaganda made on a Hollywood set. Sad when Apple is afraid and unwilling to help people because it might affect sales. Boooooo!
I wonder if Apple is still making the donation to the charity on all sales of the RED device, regardless of branding.
Product red has been promoted on Apple's Chinese website before via the Red iPods and accessories and such, but it's now against the law ('http://www.lawinfochina.com/display.aspx?lib=law&id=21963') in China for a foreign NGO to promote their cause via a profit-earning organization. If Apple wants to sell the red color in mainland China, they simply can't include the charitable donation as a part of their product.Product red has been promoted on Apple's Chinese website before via the Red iPods and accessories and such, but it's now against the law ('http://www.lawinfochina.com/display.aspx?lib=law&id=21963') in China for a foreign NGO to promote their cause via a profit-earning organization. If Apple wants to sell the red color in mainland China, they simply can't include the charitable donation as a part of their product.
If this is the case, why sell this at all in China?Are proceeds of sales in China of this red iPhone still going to Project Red if it's not even branded as such?
Proceeds aside, awareness and education is also part of the equation.