Chinese netizens welcomed the latest red iPhone 7, launched on Friday, thinking the color was specially targeted to the Chinese market, where red is considered auspicious. They even labeled the color "China red".
Well, not quite.
Apple's latest phone was launched worldwide as part of the Product Red project - also backed by Starbucks, Nike, Coca-Cola and Converse - aimed at raising funds to combat HIV/AIDS.
Every purchase of a red iPhone 7 will lead to a donation to a non-governmental organization that helps people with HIV/AIDS.
But in China, unlike elsewhere, the phone is being marketed as just another color option for the iPhone 7, on top of its previous black and gold models. And despite being branded as “Product Red”, Chinese buyers didn’t immediately catch on that this was a different product.
Why Apple has downplayed the significance of the red iPhone 7 has prompted widespread speculation around the Internet.
With no reaction yet from the tech giant, here are some guesses:
Consumers compare the red iPhone to other smartphones in eastern China's Nanjing on March 25, 2017. /CFP Photo
1. AIDS is still taboo in China
Apple may have thought HIV/AIDS was still too sensitive a topic for Chinese consumers.
Indeed, some Chinese netizens have accused Apple of secretly trying to sell an "AIDS-red" iPhone in the country.
China has been combating HIV/AIDS since the 1990s. Last year, the number of people living with HIV/AIDS and the number of deaths went up from the previous year, according to the Chinese Center for Disease Control, even as international numbers were down.
Among other things, experts blame a lack of awareness and social stigmas for the spread of the disease in China. China CDC estimates about 32 percent of infections in the country remain undetected.
The Chinese government however announced a new plan in February to raise awareness and improve treatment and cure, and on World AIDS Days on December 1, events are held throughout the country to discuss the issue.
An Apple Store in Shanghai turns its logo to red color on December 1, 2016. /CFP Photo
2. Product Red is related to Chinese separatists
Some Western media argued that Apple downplayed its association with (Red), the fund co-created by U2 singer Bono that is behind Product Red, after it recently posted an image of the Dalai Lama on one of its social media platforms.
China considers Tibet a "core interest" of the country and sees the Dalai Lama as a separatist.
While there has been no evidence to support these claims, many in China are now condemning Product Red for posting birthday wishes to the Dalai Lama on Instagram.
Musicians in southern China's Zhongshan perform to promote World AIDS Day on November 30, 2016. /CFP Photo
3. Restrictions from a new NGO law
Apple already sold Product Red goods in 2015, without causing any controversy. But a new Chinese law came into force on January 1 that requires foreign NGOs to register with the government.
This could be one reason for the company’s rebranding in China, an Apple support technician told CGTN. "China forbids overseas NGOs from branding products sold in the country, so we just say it's a red-colored iPhone 7," the technician said.
Apple has provided no comment on the debate so far. But Apple CEO Tim Cook, who was in Beijing last week, said donations for the fight against HIV/AIDS would still work for any red iPhone 7 sold in China, tech news website MacRumors reported.
Apple products are well-loved in China, with consumers often flocking to get the latest model, despite their high prices. On Friday, interest was already high for the shiny new red iPhones.
