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Phoenix Kwong

An iMac plated in pure gold is set to enter China next month. It’s not an official launch by Apple but a tailor-made version by London crafter Goldgenie, which claims 50 units have been ordered.
The total price? Nearly 5 million yuan (US$760,000 or HK$5.91 million).
Goldgenie founder Laban Roomes said his company would deliver the computers to a web developer’s office in China next month, according to industry news site Apple World Today.
Craftsmen were adding 24 karat gold to several 27-inch iMac units with Retina 5K displays. The laptop version will cost about 95,000 yuan, according to the company’s website.

The buyer, which hasn’t been identified, will pay about 4.75 million yuan for the whole order, although half must be paid up front.
If you don’t need a blinged-out iMac, Goldgenie also offers a gold Apple Watch, iPhone 6 or iPad Air.
A 24k gold iPhone 6s costs £2,500 (US$ 3,560 or HK$27,700), but if you’re determined to really stand out from the hoi polloi, £10,000 will get you a version detailed with diamonds, according to the website.
And the special treatment isn’t reserved solely for the Cupertino, California tech giant. The artisans can gold plate nearly any mobile device, or even larger items like golf clubs or bikes.
Last year, Apple launched a rose gold version of its latest handset in a bid to entice wealthy Chinese, and it was well-received.


What do you get with a 24k gold-plated iMac? Plenty of ones and zeroes

No Caption Available.

The gold-plated iMac that will reportedly be delivered to a Chinese buyer next month. Illustration: Goldgenie

Just why are Louis Vuitton and other high-end retailers abandoning China?

Louis Vuitton’s store in Shanghai. The French luxury retailer has closed outlets in Harbin, Urumqi and now Guangzhou, while opening a new one in Hangzhuo. Photo: Bloomberg.

Coach, which gets about a fifth of North American store sales from tourists, said last year that Chinese buyers were its fastest-growing group. Photo: Dickson Lee

Vintage Chanel handbags and accessories. Photo: SCMP Pictures

Mainland shoppers, who account for a third of all sales for Gucci and Prada, queue up for luxury goods in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong in this 2014 file photo. Photo: David Wong

Counterfeit versions of perfume, clothes and watches by luxury labels can be easily found on the streets of most major cities in mainland China. They can also be found in Hong Kong and Macao. Photo: Robert Ng

Chinese shoppers are forecast to spend US$117 billion on luxury goods this year. Photo: Reuters

iPhone 6S already on sale in China, with speculators charging as much as US$3,300 per device

The iPhone 6 was a boon for smugglers and resellers in China, who expect a similarly large payday from the next model. Photo: Sam Tsang

A Hong Kong man was caught by Shenzhen customs officials trying to smuggle 94 iPhones into mainland China. Photo: SCMP Pictures

News

China

Money & Wealth

Chinese web developer reportedly orders 50 blinged-out computers from London artisan firm Goldgenie
