Domestic 6th Store 'Apple Store Hanam' Opens on the 9th
First-Come, First-Served Free Tumblers Spark 'Open Run'
Recently, posts claiming to sell 'Apple tumblers' have been continuously appearing on secondhand trading platforms such as Danggeun Market. These tumblers were souvenirs distributed on a first-come, first-served basis to commemorate the opening of the sixth Apple Store in Korea, 'Apple Hanam,' on the 9th.
Earlier, hundreds of people gathered from early morning on the 9th at Apple Hanam to participate in an 'open run' (lining up before the store opens). The large crowd was largely due to the tumblers being offered for free on a first-come, first-served basis.
The tumblers featured Apple's iconic apple logo, but unlike the usual silver logo, it was a mix of sky blue and blue. It is said that this logo was inspired by the scenic natural landscapes surrounding Hanam City. This is the first time Apple has prepared tumblers as opening gifts.
Some citizens put the gifted tumblers up for sale on secondhand trading platforms. In fact, on the 11th, posts appeared on platforms like Junggonara offering Apple tumblers for 100,000 to 300,000 KRW. Some items had already been sold.
In response, netizens showed various reactions such as "I don't understand why people line up for tumblers," "Samsung needs a symbolic logo like Apple," "Samsung should make one immediately," and "It seems they resell it at such high prices because it's Apple."
On the 10th, visitors are examining products at the Apple Store Hanam, which opened in Starfield, Hanam-si, Gyeonggi-do. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Meanwhile, Apple is classified as one of the brands with particularly loyal customers. According to the '2023 Customer Loyalty Company Rankings' recently announced by the U.S. IT market research firm Brand Keys, Apple (smartphone sector) ranked first for two consecutive years, last year and this year. During the same period, Samsung Electronics (smartphone sector) ranked 8th overall. Although this is a rise of nine places from 17th last year, Apple's loyalty is still considered higher.
The UK media outlet Financial Times described the iPhone craze among Generation Z (born after 1996) in the U.S. as "a social pressure to use iPhones that has reached a crazy level."
This trend continues in Korea as well. According to the '2023 Smartphone Usage & Brand' survey released by Gallup Korea in July, 23% of all respondents use iPhones, while 69% use Galaxy phones. Among the 18-29 age group, representing the teens and twenties, 65% use iPhones. Notably, 71% of women aged 18-29 use iPhones.
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