Who knew getting an iPhone 7 would become a risky career move? Employers in China have been laying off employees who have bought Apple's latest release either as a way to show their patriotism or to discourage materialism. Whatever the case is, companies have been threatening their workers to just resign if they show up at the office with the new smartphone.
Nanyang YongKang Medicine even came out with a memo for its employees saying that the iPhone 7 isn't welcome at their office premises, and that this isn't something they are willing to compromise. Their memo soon became viral in Chinese social media medium, Weibo.
It was reported that one of their employees spent three months worth of pay on the iPhone 7, which may have alarmed the higher ups in the said company. The medicine company wanted to stress that they are for frugality and simplicity, and the phone might not be in line with their values.
Although the real reason is still unclear, a lot of Chinese employers also want to promote quality family time to their employees. This could also be a way for them to interact more with their family members rather than just staring at their phones all day.
BBC reports that this "boycott" could severely hurt China-based Foxconn Factories, which have been manufacturing products with the tech giant. Many fear that this turn of events will lead to thousands unemployed, and the collapse of Foxconn altogether.
Some Chinese netizens are also confused as to why this is being pinned as a patriotic move; however, some note that this is just a way for locally manufactured phones to increase sales.
According to Digital Trends, Apple is struggling to generate sales in China, as it is currently the fifth manufacturer in the continent. They currently only have a 7% market share, and Chinese manufacturers like Huawei, Oppo, and Xiaomi easy overtake the US-based company. The market share has also decreased 2% from last year.
Here's the promotional teaser for the newest iPhone release:
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
