British designer builds $15m iPhone for Hong Kong mogul Conspicuous consumption is a sign of booming times, and a Hong Kong businessman may have broken records for it after buying a custom-built "iPhone 5 Black Diamond" encrusted in gold and precious stones. The tab? An eye-popping $15.3m (£10m). iPhone 5 Black Diamond For the man who has everything – except taste "This …
I thought that Fabergé had set the trend for an object being more highly valued for the sheer man hours involved in its creation, rather than just the high material cost, back in the late 19th century. It would be interesting to know how much this crusted iPhone is worth as scrap- probably a high percentage of the reported £15M sum. Though commodity markets are famously volatile, it will probably hold its value better than any other handset out there.
Oh, I don't think think that 'designer' is the correct term for the craftsman who created this thing.
>though commodity markets are famously volatile, it will probably hold its value better than any other handset out there.
Gold has reportedly just dropped to a two year low. Bet the mogul wished he'd waited a couple of weeks before buying it.. On the other hand if he's got enough readies laying about to buy it in the first place he more than likely won't notice the drop in value.
"People say to me what makes you the best," Hughes said. "One word for that is that I've got to be the craziest by far."
But that's not crazy, it's just what you would do if someone said make me a 15 million dollar iphone, isn't it?
I would hope for the price you're getting the work of a premier artisan, and that would make him the best, because the lack of actual originality of design here is the opposite of crazy, it's dull.
I know it's his money, yadda yadda... But that's just plain stupid. How boring must someone's life be to be interested in something like that, really? Don't take me wrong, I sure like the good things in life that money can buy. But a phone like that isn't it. It's kind of sad. Only thing sadder than that is that I don't have even 1% of the wealth he has, heh.
In which case, no-one is envious. This phone is hideous. I doubt anyone desires it. It's also ludicrous, given that someone with that much cash will probably be updating his phone in a few months' time.
But then, perhaps that's the point. Like having a Barbie pink Ferrari. The message that sends is, this may be vulgar and horrid, but I've got so much money I can buy one of the most desirable cars in the world, and not care if I ruin it. Also, I've got so much money, that I don't care about wasting a bit of it, for a laugh. Hence that lovely picture of Sergey Brin in the pink Tesla Batmobile thing: Nice colour old chap.
I suspected something was wrong when I read 'Hong Kong Mogul' and 'Liverpudlian'.
I know that Liverpudlians have a genetical distrust of wealthy businessmen and tend only to interact with them through an organised Trade Union.
It's not surprise that the story is complete bullshit.
but it still just looks like an iPhone. Nothing against iPhones, but for that kind of money it should look like a dragon or be encased in steampunk- style cogs and gears and require a precise combination of mechanical lining- up of stuff to open or something to make people say "oooooh, that's COOL" (or at least "not my thing, but it clearly took a bit of thought and imagination") instead of "huh, looks 'spensive". Sorry, underwhelmed.
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A seven piece Chinese orchestra who live together and are on call 24/7. When Hong Kong businessman gets a call, a bright light light goes on the orchestra's apartment, they grab their instruments and Hong Kong businessman is serenaded with live music by a special app that transmits it to his phone and informs him he has a call.
The classical Chinese music is both varied and fabulous and can not be described to British personages, except for some ushers at Albert Hall.
No, that's ridiculous, it wouldn't work. You have the orchestra follow you round, in a chauffeur driven gold Rolls Royce. When the phone rings, they jump out, pick up their instruments and play. A flunky then presents you with the phone, on a cushion on a tray perhaps, and you answer it.
Hehe... reminds me of a cover of a Beezer annual from the 1980s... one lad is walking along, chuffed to bits with his new personal stereo, until he sees a Richie-Rich-like boy, being followed by a helicopter that is suspending a hi-fi speaker on each side of his head!
He employed me to do a 3d render of a gold plated retro cellphone (for what he said was "visualisation" purposes). Stupidly I didn't do much background research on him, because it doesn't take much more than a cursory google to uncover the kind of things he gets up to (which begs the question - why can't journos be bothered to do this?)
Meanwhile I did the images and then never got paid. I had to take him to small claims court, but despite being awarded the judgment against him, he never responded to any communication or paid me. Bailiffs didn't seem to be an option as it seemed his company was registered under a false address.
The various media outlets he spammed duly published the pics as real items. A quick search reveals they are even on this very site (bottom pic)....http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/04/24/stuart_hughes_luxury_items/)
In theory I could try to get all the pictures I did taken down from the various media organisations he'd spammed his press release with. But life's too short, it was 3 years ago, and I'm still not entirely sure how that works in the UK. (no DMCA?)
So - I'd be 100% certain that some hapless unpaid photoshop/3d lackey mocked these pictures up, and the whole story is total nonsense.
Well if you were not paid, then the contract is not completed, I am sure that the copyright would remain with you (that is one thing I try to ensure is in all my contracts, that all rights remain with me until payment in full is made, that way I have a 2nd avenue to follow in the event of non-payment)
If its your copyrighted works, then I believe you can demand that the images are taken down if they don't pay for them (I am assuming you'd rather get paid something than nothing)
I agree with you about the contracts - normally I'd do that too, but this was a quick 1-2 day job and he was introduced to me by a friend so I foolishly didn't do a contract. The email trail was enough for the court to rule in my favour anyway. But winning court cases doesn't even guarantee you'll get paid, as I found out.
As for demanding they take them down yes I could, but then it's another unpaid bunch of hours (at least) sitting on the net writing emails and getting bitter.
I guess it's a useful learning experience which I suspect quite a few freelancers have to go through at least once!
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