Gold-Plated iPhone 5S With Vladimir Putin's Face On It Will Cost You USD4,300
A luxury phone company doubles up on questionable taste by gold-plating an iPhone 5S and emblazoning it with Vladimir Putin's face.
By Sadho Ram — 29 Jun 2014, 02:27 PM — Updated almost 10 years ago
Supporters of Russian President Vladimir Putin can now prove their devotion to the mother country with a patriotic gold-plated iPhone 5S
When Apple first debuted the gold-colored iPhone 5S in 2013, it sold out everywhere. That probably won't be a problem for Italian company Perla Penna and its unusual gold-plated iPhone 5S. Painting some gaudy gold onto an Apple product is nothing new, but Caviar went the extra mile and added a portrait of Russian leader Vladimir Putin along with the Russian coat of arms and the first lines of the national anthem.
cnet.comOwning this gem of a iPhone will set you back 147,000 rubles, or about USD4,300. It's full name is the "Caviar Supremo Putin."
The product description suggests this is the best way to express your patriotism. It's certainly one of the more expensive ways to do so. It retails for $4,300 and is part of a line of extravagant phones marketed toward “people of the highest circle," as the company puts it.
mashable.com
The portrait is hand-engraved into the gold on the back of the iPhone. It comes delivered in a black velvet-lined box.
It joins a line of oddball luxury phones aimed at the Russian market, including ones with made with alligator skin and ones encrusted with diamonds.
cnet.com"President Vladimir Putin has become a symbol of a new generation, strong-willed and a decisive leader," the company's description of the phone reads, according to Google Translate. "Caviar jewelers chose him as among the most important figures of our time."
Putin joins the ranks of other notable figures that have been featured on Caviar iPhones
The new phone has propelled Putin to the ranks of Leonardo de Vinci, Mohammed Ali and Steve Jobs, whose faces have also been featured on Caviar's gold-plated iPhones.
themoscowtimes.comThis iPhone is clearly geared toward a Russian market. Caviar calls it "the best way to express patriotism," which only applies if you're living in Russia or eastern Ukraine.
Although this Caviar/Perla Penna iPhone may be the most extravagant Putin-related product, it isn't the only one. The Moscow Times reports that, following Russia's annexation of Crimea, Russian approval of Putin has been at an all-time high, and the president's face now adorns a variety of patriotic accessories.
businessinsider.in
Although, the company seems to have missed a golden opportunity here. Instead of choosing to display Putin's head with a slight smirk, the company should have opted to engrave this shirtless Putin riding a bear.
