Sometimes it feels like a person needs to be a Russian oligarch to afford an iPhone. And that’s the likely customer of an iPhone XS Max adorned with a back panel completely covered in pure gold.
It’s for sale by the aptly named Russian luxury brand Caviar for $15,340.
Still looking for the perfect gift for Valentine’s Day? In the year 2017, nothing says I love you more than a set of matching custom gold iPhones with engravings of U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Only the iPhone 6s comes in gold now. Photo: Apple
Apple announced that it’s dropping the price on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 5s this morning, but what it didn’t tell fans is that if you want a gold iPhone, the only way to get one is to upgrade to the newest model.
Apple removed the option to purchase the gold finish on the iPhone 5s and iPhone 6 from its website today. Both devices have come in gold since they were introduced, but now it looks like Apple wants to force anyone who wants their iPhone to shine like gold to upgrade to the latest and greatest model.
Here’s the updated list of iPhone models and their color options:
We’ve already seen Jimmy Kimmel’s hilarious prank with the new iPhablet iPhone, but Conan O’Brien just released his own video about the mastermind behind Apple’s latest design improvements, and why the gold iPhone is the BEST! BEST! BEST!
You may think a gold iPhone is the tackiest thing since Mr T’s chains, but Apple is actually fashion forward.
Cult of Mac asked EDITD, a leading fashion forecasting firm, whether the gold iPhone would be in step with what’s going on in the world, fashion-wise.
“Metallics, and gold in particular, are certainly a growing fashion trend,” noted EDITD’s Julia Fowler. “We’ve recorded an 88 percent increase in gold products over the last 3 months.”
Over the sweltering summer, gold went from being barely a glimmer with about 10,500 items stocked at stores like Gap, Target and ASOS, to 19,600 products.
Rumor has it that Apple might soon get a gold member… of the iPhone family. But on this week’s CultCast, we’ll ask the important question: why would anyone want a gold iPhone?! We’ll ponder the color choice and rumors of a big bump in 5S storage space. Then, Kyle Wiens from iFixit.com joins us to discuss why Apple is purposely building devices only a Genius can fix, and the toxic wastelands where our iDevices go to die.
Have a few laughs and get caught up on this week’s finest Apple stories. Stream or download new and past episodes of The CultCast now on your Mac or iDevice by subscribing on iTunes, or hit play below and let the audio adventure begin.
If you’re anything like me, no matter how much evidence has mounted that Apple is indeed planning a gold iPhone 5S, you’ve had a hard time believing it. Gold in a gadget usually turns it into gaudy, undignified bling, more appropriate for a Saudi oil baron or diamond-toothed rapper than, say, the pocket of Jony Ive.
It looks like I needn’t have worried. Apple may be planning on making a gold iPhone 5S, but as you can see from the image above (you can see it in the middle), it’s a very tasteful affair… more champagne, or even platinum, than anything else. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that if I were going to buy a new iPhone 5S, I might even opt for that color.
There are more images below the fold. What do you think?
Rumors of Apple releasing a gold-colored iPhone have been hard for some to swallow, but according to AllThingsD’s sources, Apple plans to introduce a gold iPhone at the September 10th keynote.
While many Apple fans are worried that a gold iPhone would look too gaudy and doesn’t match the Apple design aesthetic, John Paczkowski’s sources says the gold iPhone will have a white face with a gold black plate and chamfered edging.
Rather than using a bold ingot gold tone many have feared, the gold iPhone will be more of a champagne color. No word on whether the gold iPhone will be priced differently than other models (we doubt it), but we’ll just have to wait and see the final product on September 10th.