Apple has stripped all reference to HIV/AIDS from the launch of a special red charity edition iPhone in China.
The tech giant yesterday announced a special edition red iPhone to raise money to fight HIV/AIDS via non-profit (RED) – though it’s not clear how much from each sale will actually go to charity.
The phone is on sale in Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, the UK and United Arab Emirates.
But more questions have been raised today – after it emerged the charity pledge is entirely omitted from Apple’s website in China.
TechCrunch points out that in China, Apple is not advertising the connection to HIV/AIDS that is present in every other region.
The English-language version of the listing on the Apple website states: “Every purchase contributes to the Global Fund to support HIV/AIDS programmes and help deliver an AIDS-free generation”.
The line has been translated into other languages in every foreign market except mainland China, where the line is entirely absent.
PinkNews found that the mainland China listing is even different from the phone’s listing in Hong Kong – which does carry the AIDS charity’s branding.
While Apple Hong Kong states “iPhone 7 now available in (Product)RED”, the mainland China website instead just states “iPhone 7 now available in Red”.
The absence of any charity branding in China could be a response to the country’s cultural skittishness around the AIDS crisis.
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