The son of one of the most powerful property moguls in China has bought his dog eight new iPhone 7 smartphones.
Pampered pooch Keke, an Alaskan Malamute, has been pictured surrounded by eight of the highly sought-after handsets from Apple. Wang Sicong is the son of mogul Wang Jianlin, and has previously stoked controversy due to his dog’s spoiled lifestyle.
Alaskan Malamute now the proud owner of eight iPhone 7 phones
Keke has previously been dubbed China’s richest dog, and has become a star on Chinese microblogging site Weibo. Wang Sicong previously posted pictures of Keke wearing gold Apple watches with a value of over $33,500.
The photos led to anger from other Weibo users. Keke now has more than 1 million followers on his own Weibo blog. The site is the biggest social network in China, with over 500 million active users.
The latest images show Keke surrounded by iPhone 7 handsets. Apple put the new smartphone on sale on September 16.
Wang Sicong posted the photos with a caption which read: “Not sure what people are showing off on social media about. There is nothing to show off. I was forced to take action.”
Social media reacts to post
One Weibo user asked “does the dog plan to host a lucky draw?” Another wrote: “I can’t even live as well as this dog.”
Wang Sicong is the 28-year-old son of Wang Jianlin, chairman of the Dalian Wanda Group. The real estate giant is the largest commercial property company in China.
Jianlin has an estimated net worth of $28.8 billion, according to Forbes. He is the first billionaire from mainland China to enter the top 20 richest people in the world.
Interest in the iPhone 7 in China has been less than previous launches. Reuters reports that interest has waned after cheaper local brands have introduced better features, design and marketing for their handsets.
“From Steve Jobs to Tim Cook, Apple has never had any marketing strategy tailor-made for China,” said Zhou Zhanggui, a Beijing-based strategic consultant. “Apple risks losing out more if it does not better cater to local demands in its marketing as well as product design.”
