The iPhone 6 hasn't been met with as much enthusiasm as Apple probably would have liked, namely because there has been a whole host of problems associated with the new smartphone.
First there was #Bendgate, where the larger iPhone 6 Plus was rumored to bend when you added some pressure. Then came #Hairgate, where some iPhone 6 owners reported that their hair was getting stuck between the glass and the aluminum when making a phone call.
Another complaint about the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus that doesn't have an official name is its size. The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus have screen sizes that are 0.7 inches and 1.5 inches greater than the 4-inch screen of the iPhone 5 and 5S, respectively. Naturally, when the new iPhones were announced many wondered, "Will the iPhone 6 fit in my pocket?"
One Chinese retailer has taken it upon itself to quell that very important worry among consumers. In honor of the release of the iPhone 6 in China on Oct. 17, China Unicom apparently hired a tailor to expand the pant pockets of those buying the new smartphone in the store, Tech in Asia first reported. A photo has been circulating on the Chinese microblogging website Sina Weibo that shows people are actually using this service to have their pants altered for their new phone.
"Pocket Plus": China Unicom's free tailor service for #iPhone6Plus buyrs whose jeans pocket not deep enough (no puns) pic.twitter.com/HqhfKd9eYN
— Valentina Luo (@valentinaluo) October 17, 2014
Does that mean people just took off their pants right in the middle of the store so they could comfortably fit their shiny, new iPhone 6 in their pocket before they walked out? Or, did some customers really come prepared and get all of the pants that they own altered in one fell swoop? So many questions, so little time.
Although this is a pretty ingenious idea on the part of China Unicom, it isn't the first retailer to anticipate consumers' pain points about the product and offer a solution. As MarketWatch reports, Dutch telecom provider KPN offered the services of a mobile tailor to alter customers' pants as they waited in line to buy the iPhone 6 a few weeks ago. Mashable reported last month that major clothing brands were considering making the size of their jean pockets larger in order to accommodate new, bigger smartphones and "phablets" entering the market.
But maybe all of the reported problems with the iPhone 6 have actually helped sales. Apple will report its fourth-quarter earnings on Monday, Oct. 20, but at the Apple event on Oct. 16, CEO Tim Cook said, "These iPhones have become the fastest-selling iPhones in history."
Apple's metaphorical pockets may not be bigger, but I bet they sure are deeper now.
