Swiss do lady-friendly iPhone 4 launch

The iPhone 4 gets its Swiss launch on Friday, with an odd choice of attendant gender-related promotional faff. The "Orange at Globus" stores will be opening at 06.00 and offering coffee and croissants to girls, but blokes hungry for the latest Apple handset will need to find a female accomplice or look good in drag - they won' …

[JaitcH]

and offering coffee and croissants to girls ...

Funny way to sell things, discriminating against the males unless is inferring woman are less technical and won't notice Lemon 4 doesn't work properly,

It might even be a matter of anatomy ... women have small hands and won't 'bridge the gap'.

[Anonymous Coward]

Err what

Is gender based discrimination legal in Switzerland?

[Anonymous Coward]

gender

You can discriminate based on gender in the UK too.

There are plenty of clubs that do no accept male members (that sounds wrong)

Shhh! won't allow unaccompanied male shoppers

Insurance companies are allowed to charge women less while hair dressers are allowed to charge women more.

[Annwyn]

In all fairness...

Insurance companies are "allowed" to charge women less because premiums are calculated on risk. All jokes about women drivers aside - women have more fender bender accidents, but when men crash their car they to do it in a more spectacular fashion and therefore cost more to repair (statistically).

But apart from that, I totally agree. I’ve especially always found those “Women only” gyms a bit offensive. By all means have an area within your gym that is for women only, but…

For the record – I am a women.

[Tigra 07]

RE: Annwyn

I have wondered that too about the gyms.

What's wrong with separate changing rooms but a unisex gym?

After all we all like a go on the exercise bike right?

[Anonymous Coward]

What's wrong with....

unisex changing rooms?!?!?!? :)

[Scott 19]

Shelia's Wheels

As above.

[Dazed and Confused]

Ladies don't sweat

They glow

sweaty palm are far more conductive and therefore far more likely to exacerbate the problem.

[VeganVegan]

When did women get the vote in Switzerland?

Enough said.

[skeptical i]

Those who manifest as male can take their business elsewhere ...

... since this chain of shops does not seem to want it.

[Anonymous Coward]

Sound like me

If the blokes in Switzerland are anything like me in a mobile phone shop, this sounds like a bloody good idea! I get into a mobile store I reek of "sucker" and the shop staff would have me me buy the £2000 gold plated wotnot with monthly tarrif in excess of the national debt of a small third-world nation!

PCs, cars, AV equipment, builders I am savvy, I hate and despise mobiles so when I need a new phone, I get my Missus to come with me as I would get suckered into some 23 year contract in 5 secs flat!

[Dick Head]

Anyone who believes...

...that the Swiss are too polite to make a fuss when you bend the rules hasn't spent much time there. They will (reasonably politely) tell you when you are doing something which is verboten.

[Anonymous Coward]

Was about to say the same thing...

Having lived in Switzerland a few years back.

I can distinctly remember an argument with a waiter in Zurich who thought we we're spending enough on our meal and suggested we pick more expensive items off the menu.

In Switzerland customer service is a bit of an oxymoron. I'm not saying this of Swiss people in general, my Swiss friend from Berne was doing most of the arguing.

However they're marvelous engineers and know how to run a country that's for sure.

[My8bits]

The binary nature of Switzerland....

And not always politely! As it is a difficult concept for many of them to understand that an Auslander doesn't know ALL the "RULES" that they have wrote learned since birth. Some rules aren't even written. Woe is the man who tries to mow his lawn between 12:00 and 13:00, or washes his clothes on a Sunday, the Lord's day of rest. ;)

In Switzerland, you will find most things are obligatory and what is not obligatory is forbidden! No grey you see.

Once you get over these details you find it's a great place to live though! ;)

[Anonymous Coward]

There's a precedent.

Della. Don't fancy yours much.

[Anonymous Coward]

Speaks volumes

iPhone4 only offered to girls, hahahahaha

Change "offered to" with "purchased by"

[sevenofnine]

@ Annwyn

Ladies only gyms dont offend me (not being a lady, im not allowed in, so a non issue for me) but woman only area's of gym's do. I used to go to a gym which had the whole upstairs of the building for "Woman only" but charged both men and woman the same price, despite men getting less use of the gym.

Out of protest i stopped going and started eating macdonalds and thanks to my miracle metabolism I'm still technically underweight. If i do ever get fat though, i am pointing my chubby big mac covered finger at woman only area's of gyms.

[Sarah Bee]

Re: @ Annwyn

Excellent. I left yesterday before the comments on this started but oh joy! I get to do them today.

So, women, eh? Chuh!

[sevenofnine]

@ Sarah Bee

Woman indeed. Nothing against them, lovely creatures that they are ;)

Bit of a pointless stunt to sell eyefones and get it in the news, but i guess it worked. Maybe having woman in the queue stops the herd of manic fanboi's getting too riotous?

[Anonymous Coward]

Clearly this is the real reason for...

...the burkha!

All Swiss geeks can cover themselves in a small tent and queue up for an iPhone safe in the knowledge that if Orange get a little too intrusive as to your gender you can slap a fatwa on them.

[Witty username]

i shouldnt laugh

but "cover themselves in a small tent" made me giggle.

As for female discrimination, we can still urinate on things, open jars and find flatuance hilarious, so try not to dwell on it ;)

[Equitas]

I could understand it better

if it were some other country involved.

OK, so the iPhone is a girly item bought by girly boys and presumably by girls.

But look at the female population of Switzerland -- the typical Swiss Mädchen is hardly very girly either in looks or behaviour..

[Anonymous Coward]

In Zurich...

...There are 2x Apple stores and a large reseller. Who wants to put their money in the hands of a French Company (Orange) anyway?

In fact, - Globus (if it contains an Orange Franchise) is sandwiched by the reseller and one of the Apple outlets. So that ploy would be just plain stupid - like all French people are.

Possibly this applies to Swiss Romande where most of the French-speaking conspirators live - Geneva and the like.