Hello.
On every trip I try to ask people about how they live, what interests them, what phones they use and why they use them. It is clear that communication with local residents is in English, which presupposes a certain level of education and, possibly, income. This time I took over Hong Kong, which is strikingly different from mainland China and that’s what I like, it’s a different interpretation of Chinese culture in the modern world. Then I came to Shenzhen, a city I knew well and grew up before my eyes. The cities can be seen in clear weather, the distance between them is so small. But the difference in approaches is very great; Hong Kong has historically been a fashionable place, a crossroads of different cultures. At the same time, Shenzhen unwittingly became such a city, ultra-modern, greedy for everything new and bright.
There have been quite a few conversations, but I’ll probably start with Hong Kong and the manager at the hotel, who quickly helped me sort out various little things. Good English, a fashionable hairstyle and in the hands of a rather shabby iPhone Pro, which is several years old. To my question “why do you have an iPhone?” I expected to hear the usual answers about convenience and some other reasons, but I was discouraged by what I heard. It turned out that there is exactly one reason – the corporate system in the hotel is still tied to iOS; both tablets and phones from Apple are used. But they are gradually being abandoned, since this cannot attract new customers, and the cost of maintaining the system is astronomical, it is impossible to make changes, every sneeze requires titanic efforts. Do you know what is the most interesting thing that was said? The fact that they tried to give clients tablets for entertainment, but they don’t need them, people use their own devices, where everything is configured, including streaming services.
I heard briefly that people are turning on TVs in their rooms less often, perhaps this directly follows from the fact that they are watching content on their personal devices. The next TV models will not have a larger screen or any smart features; the hotel plans to focus on picture quality plus the ability to broadcast content from guests’ phones. And he doesn’t really think about doing some kind of high-tech in the rooms. The reason is that it does not sell rooms, visitors choose the location of the hotel, the cost of the room, the quality of the pool and other points, but not what is in the room from the equipment and how it looks. Hospitality here has nothing to do with the presence of certain technical achievements, and the hotel budget, apparently, is not rubber, and it needs to be spent on something else.
I asked if there was any phone that my interlocutor liked, the answer was: I’m looking at Android, there are better photos, more features, and most importantly, discounts and the price are noticeably lower. I want to try to buy such a device. The name of the model and manufacturer does not play a role here at all; I specifically crossed them out, since they will make someone assume that there is a hidden motive to promote such and such a company. I definitely don’t have such goals.
Then there were different people. For example, a French sommelier in his late fifties who works in a famous Chinese restaurant. We started the conversation with wine, came to electronics and discussed how Devialet speakers sound, of which we turned out to be fans.
He asked about the phone, and in response an Android was pulled out of his pocket. To my bewildered look, a smile followed – you need to somehow be different and be a little different, to be different from the Chinese around you. “An excellent device, it’s almost three years old, my operator suggests getting something with a flexible screen, and it will be cheaper than an iPhone.” From the story I learned that many people around are changing their iPhone for something else, the reasons are completely different, but, in the opinion of my interlocutor, the main reason is not to be like other people, to stand out. Nodding towards the window, behind which the skyscrapers of Hong Kong sparkled, he said: “Each building is special, there are many of them, they have different owners, different residents. Nobody wants to be a typical Hong Kong person, you need to be able to stand out. And at the same time, be a reasonable person, don’t waste money.” When working with wine, it is difficult not to get a bit of philosophical sentiment.
Another chance encounter, the concierge girl at Pacific Place. In his hands is a brand new iPhone 15, smiling and shining, as only they can do in China. A gift from a guy, a meaningful nod to the phone – “loves me.” When I asked why the iPhone and not something else, I received the expected answer: “All my friends around use the iPhone, it’s cool and expensive.” For her, such a gift is a way to measure the seriousness of a guy’s attitude. I asked what kind of phone my lover used and heard something funny: “He’s saving up, saving up for a wedding, so he still has an inexpensive but good phone.” It is possible that a guy will one day get an iPhone, but most likely he will grow up with Android, choosing his new toys from what is on the market.
I chose these conversations to show that something has subtly changed in Hong Kong. Few people in the Apple Store, glanced at a few stores. There is no fuss, no aspiration from the presence or absence of Apple in your hands. Not many headphones from the company flash in people’s ears, a few years ago there were more of them, now there is a variety of solutions, a lot of black! Which also characterizes well the history of brand perception. Of course, all these fragmentary conversations cannot characterize the market as a whole, but after looking at the sales data, I can say that they are declining, albeit not as much as in China. It is possible that this is influenced by the lack of the previous number of tourists who use Hong Kong as a transit zone and buy something here. Maybe this is a real decline in interest in Apple. But somehow the stories themselves formed into a single picture, like pieces of a puzzle falling into place. Hong Kong is a very sensitive city to change; it always keeps its nose to the wind. And people choose what can highlight their features, hence the gradual abandonment of the iPhone, as a casual acquaintance said in a cafe, “I see no reason to buy a new iPhone, the old one is exactly the same, and no one in the case will know what model I have. I’d rather spend this money on a new hoodie.”
I move to a neighboring city, where the iPhone remains a sign of status, that everything in life turned out right and you entered all the doors on the wrong foot. In a Japanese restaurant on the 115th floor, all the staff have one or another iPhone model, the cooks pretend to be Japanese for visitors, only their remarkable height gives them away; they are from the north of China.
But if you go out and walk along the streets, you will find that fashionistas and fashionistas have a lot of folding phones, usually these are large devices in the Fold style. The reason for this behavior is that such devices are fashionable in China, and the iPhone is a kind of classic. You can buy a Tesla, or you can drive a Mercedes. There are more of the former in the city than of the latter. And the question is not a lack of money, but the tastes of the public, the perception of different brands. Classics turn out to be expensive and not very popular. Today’s iPhone has involuntarily turned into such a classic; it is no longer associated with fashion and new trends. No, this is not a phone for grandparents, but also not a device for those who shape the perception of new devices through fashion. The gossip columns increasingly feature those who want to show off a new model of some brand, and there are more than one or two such brands, often local Chinese companies. As a result, the theme of patriotism, generously fueled within the country, begins to work, people play it and show to the public that they are for China and their native companies. And this is a striking difference from the situation that existed in China five or six years ago, when the iPhone was the most desirable product, an unquestioned authority. And all competitors were perceived as iPhone substitutes.
I met an old friend, he heads a “small” Chinese company, or rather, he is one of the small number of celestials who determine its future. A Chinese man in his sixties who has earned everything he has with his hump. Insanely efficient and politically verified. He told me something that made me think: “We are no longer trying to dislodge Samsung from first place, our goal is now Apple. And in recent years we have been setting realistic goals.” So there is a feeling that others will follow their example, there is no longer any fear of Apple, and in any form, competitors are ready to tear the company apart. And buyers are ready to choose other products. And this can be clearly seen in two very different markets – Hong Kong is outside of China’s iPhone policy, so it acts as a control group where much the same thing happens.
PS There is no funeral of the iPhone here, if you suddenly noticed one, just a shift in buyer interest, the disappearance of the halo of a status product that has accompanied the Apple phone for many years. It is no longer like that, and this is proven by the example of the people who surround me, many refuse the iPhone without any pressure.
