iPhone Fever: 10 Crazy Things People Have Done to Get an iPhone

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  • People have tried to sell their kidneys and unborn children for iPhones
  • A man tried to 'rent' his girlfriend to others to raise money for iPhone
  • A girl attempted to murder her mother for taking away her iPhone

The iPhone is the most coveted smartphone in the world, with people willing to part with (a lot of) hard-earned money to become part of the Apple ecosystem. However, there are some who do things that are over and above the normal to get their iPhone, going much beyond what can be considered normal behaviour. Here’s a look at 10 crazy things people have done to get their hands on an iPhone.

1. Changed his name to iPhone 7
A Ukrainian man, Olexander Turin, changed his name to iPhone Sim (Sim translates to Seven in the local language) in order to get a new iPhone 7 unit free as part of an electronics store’s promotion offer. The name change cost him $2, while the latest Apple smartphone is priced at $850. And he plans to keep the name – at least till he has children.

2. Travelled around the world to be the first in the world to get the new iPhone
A couple in US travelled from the US to Australia to make sure they are the first people in the world to get their hands on the iPhone 6. The couple placed order for the smartphone in the US and requested Sydney, Australia (12,000 kilometres away) as the pick-up destination. Another man, this time from Thailand, flew from his home country to Australia and sat in the rain for 18 hours just to make sure that he gets the iPhone 7 Plus model he prefers.

3. Used a wedding as guarantee to get an iPhone
A Saudi man in 2014 was asked to give an iPhone 6 as dowry in order to marry he girl he proposed to. And the iPhone was not even meant for the bride. The bizarre request came from the girl’s brother, who wanted the groom to give him the then-new iPhone 6 as soon as the model became available for sale in the UAE.

4. Sold his kidney (of course)
Selling kidneys for an iPhone is a common joke, but one teenager went ahead and did it. In 2012, a 17-year-old Chinese boy apparently sold his kidney for CNY 22,000, and used the money to buy an iPhone and iPad for himself. And the people who lured him into this trap made CNY 200,000.

In 2016, two Chinese men tried to sell their kidneys too and buy an iPhone 6s, which was yet to hit the market, with the money. However, the illegal agent to whom they planned to sell their kidneys did not turn up, and one of the two donors changed his mind. He eventually called the police to inform them of the deal, but his friend ran away.

5. Hired someone else to stand in line
Apple fans who want to make sure that they get their hands on the iPhone for their choice on launch day usually have to stand in line for hours or even days to secure their place. But why waste your own time if you have money? Many people over the years have paid several hundreds of dollars to others in order to wait in line for long hours to buy the latest iPhone. Some go one step ahead and pay the people standing in front of the lines and buy their spot from them, which can cost over a thousand dollars sometimes.

6. Sold their daughter
A couple in China reportedly sold their infant daughter for a sum of CNY 50,000 (approximately Rs. 5,00,000) and bought a number of luxury items, including iPhones. The duo, which had two children already, had published advertisements in newspapers anonymously that they were willing to give up their yet-unborn child for the said amount. When arrested, the couple said that they parted with their daughter in order to secure her future with a family that can provide her an education, a claim that authorities did not believe.

7. Donated sperm
Sperm banks in China in 2015 advertised to potential donors by saying that they will give them enough money to buy the new iPhone 6s in exchange for their semen donations. Against the going rate of CNY 3,500, certain sperm banks in the country raised their compensation to CNY 5,000, enough to buy the new iPhone 6s. They even advertised the iPhone 6s prominently in the advertisements and wrote “you don’t have to sell a kidney” - only sperm, apparently.

8. Tried to drain a lake
A German schoolboy who dropped his iPhone in a lake tried to drain the waterbody in order to retrieve it. His first attempt to get the lost iPhone back was rather reasonable, as he asked the local fishing club if he can don a diving suit and look for it himself. When denied by the authorities, he returned later that night with a pump and two hoses and attempted to drain the lake itself. The water drained from the lake flooded a nearby car parking lot, which made the estate manager call the police. The boy was still not repentant though, saying, “It almost worked.”

9. Attempted to kill her mother
When a woman took away the iPhone of her 12-year-old daughter, the pre-teen tried to kill her twice. The mother noticed the smell of bleach in her water the second time, she confronted the girl, who admitted to trying to kill her for taking away the smartphone. The girl was later put in a juvenile home and charged with first-degree murder.

10. ‘Rent' out his girlfriend
A man desperate to raise money to buy the iPhone 6 in 2014 resorted to share his girlfriend with others. A student at China’s Songjiang University, the man put up a placard with the option for others to ‘rent’ his girlfriend by the hour, day or month. As part of the deal, “no funny business” would be allowed with the girl and the potential suitors will only be allowed to eat and study with her.



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