Tim Cook: Chinese Consumer Tastes Fueling Gold Color Options, Apple Watch Developer Interest High

[baryon]

Never understood the appeal of gold in relation to Apple, as I see it as a vintage, ornamental luxury color rather than a modern, minimalistic color like the white or light grey typical of Apple. In the world of black and silver electronics, Apple always insisted on plain white (first iPods, white earbuds, white iPhone 4, white MacBook). Today the story is a different due to Apple no longer liking plastic for some reason, but their light grey aluminum still remains very Apple-like, along with the occasional "happy" colors like the iPhone 5C used to have (similar to what they started with the iPod Mini back in the day).

Gold, however, to me, is totally not like Apple. To me it's an "old people" color, it reminds me of and old man with a fancy mustache wearing a monocle with gold framed glasses and smoking a pipe, with a tiger-skin rug that still has the tiger's head attached to it, and trophies lined up in vitrines and paintings of various birds on the wall in fancy decorative frames. Sure, it has a style, and it suits many people who have that style. But Apple's style has never been anything like that. Their style is fairly clean and without a specific personality. So it's out of place, to me, to see Apple using a color that to me has nothing to do with Apple's style.

Gold obviously has a different meaning in different cultures, so the Chinese taste thing explains it a bit. But I see many people loving gold in the Western world and I have no idea where that came from.

 

[Chad-VI]

What kills me is not so much that Gold anything is of TERRIBLE taste (no wonder Middle-Easters and Chinese are the main customers there...)..

So you are saying that Middle-Easterns and Chinese have a bad taste, that's why they like a phone color that in your opinion is ugly? I don't think you missed the news about the gold iPhone 5s being sold out in the US when it first released did you?

 

[elasticmedia]

Typically, the Chinese are never known for their sophistication in renovating houses either. Tack shiny objects abound. Obviously there are exceptions, but if you see a lot of gold and shiny stone bling, it's obvious who the target market is.

 

[rp2011]

You better listen your biggest customers.

And Apple and other foreign businesses better move quickly to make a dent an a buck now, because it is only a short time before the nation is self sufficient and becomes the greatest economy on earth.

 

[aeriis]

it's funny and sad how so many people on here peddle around their subtle and not so subtle racism, suffering under the delusion that their treasured 500 dollar product makes them wealthy, affluent, or superior. apparently, only having to spend a month or two of scrunching up change from their minimum wage job to buy something reminds them that they're one or two rungs up from the bottom of the totem pole and therefore superior in everyway to the filth below.

 

[nick42983]

Imagine if Apple did business in Germany and they hadn't acknowledged the Holocaust. This talk about transforming education in China is empty rhetoric when things like the Great Leap Forward which annihilated tens of millions of Chinese lives are censored. Gold colored phones and tablets, are you serious? Its tragic when a nation doesn't recognize its history, especially as dark and tragic a history as that of China in the 20th century. It's not all about plowing a fertile new market Tim Cook!

 

[Glideslope]

Chinese love to flaunt their wealth

Give it 6m.

 

[Toltepeceno]

it's funny and sad how so many people on here peddle around their subtle and not so subtle racism, suffering under the delusion that their treasured 500 dollar product makes them wealthy, affluent, or superior. apparently, only having to spend a month or two of scrunching up change from their minimum wage job to buy something reminds them that they're one or two rungs up from the bottom of the totem pole and therefore superior in everyway to the filth below.

Well said and exactly right.

 

[Traverse]

Horrible colour. It looks like they've been pissed on.

Actually, really yellow urine means you're dehydrated. You want clear urine.

 

[CFreymarc]

Love to know what percentage of Apple Watch Editons were sold per country.

 

[xmichaelp]

Enough of that Chinese ******** and fix both iOS and OS X... They're crap these days...

Yeah because they're mutually exclusive.

 

[dave2010]

Those in the USA just need to get used to consumer markets moving to tastes in Asia because thats where the money is now. But in the meantime, there's still plenty of silver and white things for you to buy.

 

[Fattytail]

Those in the USA just need to get used to consumer markets moving to tastes in Asia because thats where the money is now. But in the meantime, there's still plenty of silver and white things for you to buy.

That's not where THE money is. It's a significant chunk. But the U.S. is still top dog in the world.

 

[Pyrhonen]

I really qanted the 6 plus in gold but i wanted the front to be black so I went for the space gray. I was gonna put a case anyway.

 

[Benjamin Frost]

Does anyone else see a black Apple Watch?

 

[developer13245]

Wow, and all along we thought it was the Miami design team:

Turns out it was Shenzen pimps!

Only the hottest tracks will stream to gold via Apple Music.

 

[Benjamin Frost]

Never understood the appeal of gold in relation to Apple, as I see it as a vintage, ornamental luxury color rather than a modern, minimalistic color like the white or light grey typical of Apple. In the world of black and silver electronics, Apple always insisted on plain white (first iPods, white earbuds, white iPhone 4, white MacBook). Today the story is a different due to Apple no longer liking plastic for some reason, but their light grey aluminum still remains very Apple-like, along with the occasional "happy" colors like the iPhone 5C used to have (similar to what they started with the iPod Mini back in the day).

Gold, however, to me, is totally not like Apple. To me it's an "old people" color, it reminds me of and old man with a fancy mustache wearing a monocle with gold framed glasses and smoking a pipe, with a tiger-skin rug that still has the tiger's head attached to it, and trophies lined up in vitrines and paintings of various birds on the wall in fancy decorative frames. Sure, it has a style, and it suits many people who have that style. But Apple's style has never been anything like that. Their style is fairly clean and without a specific personality. So it's out of place, to me, to see Apple using a color that to me has nothing to do with Apple's style.

Gold obviously has a different meaning in different cultures, so the Chinese taste thing explains it a bit. But I see many people loving gold in the Western world and I have no idea where that came from.

Agreed.

Gold is good for rings and gold leaf in decoration; otherwise, it tends to be too much.

 

[dav1dd]

From Article:
Cook finished the interview by noting Apple plans to begin more than 180 trial programs in various schools in China, with an aim to "transform traditional educational models and help students contribute to society."

Interpretation:
Cook wants to turn the Chinese into a bunch of mindless consumer-driven drones, just like Westerners

 

[MH01]

There is nothing "premium" about a Gold Apple Watch. Apple is not setting any new standards in luxury among the uber rich with their $10,000+ "timepieces". I would imagine that most 1%ers look at the Apple Watch like they would look at a gold plated Casio or Timex, as a joke, while they walk up to their watch display cases and pick from dozens of high quality timepieces from Omega or Rolex, or more likely, those designed by luxury Swiss watchmakers you never heard of.

The Gold Apple watch are for douchey insecure hipsters that must be socially judged by others based on purchasing overt status symbols bought on credit they can't actually afford. Anyone with real money and taste is laughing at Apple and at most might buy any Apple watch so they can work out in a gym or go for a swim and don't want to ruin their real luxury watches.

Well the gold makes it premium. Apart from that, the same people who opt for the edition will purchase a gold Rolex or omega, I'd argue these people want to be judged by purchasing over status symbols

It's just a status symbol, cause it does nothing better than the sports watch.

People purchasing a classic Swiss watch like a Rolex or omega are not buying those for thier time keeping abilities, cause they are inaccurate, they are buying it as a status symbol. Apple has joined the Game, I don't like it, but some people will. Thier money, let them show off.

 

[T-Will]

I thought the gold color was based on popularity among Dutch users.

 

[dave2010]

That's not where THE money is. It's a significant chunk. But the U.S. is still top dog in the world.

For the next five years or so, then it will be second dog. Apple is just adjusting to change as it happens rather than waiting till things tip over.

 

[cocky jeremy]

Chinese taste for gold colours is hideous and gaudy...

Yup. I'd go without an iPhone before I'd go with gold. Ugly, ugly, ugly.

 

[doug in albq]

I am hoping the new Apple Campus 2 was not also built for the Chinese!

 

[bigchrisfgb]

I'm not a fan of traditional gold. It looks dirty to me, though I like white gold and platinum.

Strangely though I have a gold iPhone 6 after deciding to get that colour when I saw 5S' in it.
The gold doesn't show up as much as pictures of the products do and it's not like a traditional gold.

 

[furi0usbee]

Google search "tuhao". It's the Chinese term for nouveau riche.

Oh, the ones at the *front* of the assembly line.... gotcha!