Apple's iPad2 shortage has now spread to the afterlife as Chinese families in Malaysia are desperate to get their hands on paper replicas of the popular gadget to burn during their dead loved ones funeral.
During the Qingming festival Chinese communities in Asia honour their ancestors by burning fake money or replicas of luxury items such as flashy cars and designer bags to ensure they are set up for the afterlife.
"Some of my customers have dreams where their departed relatives will ask for luxury items including the iPad 2," prayer item shopkeeper Jeffrey Te told Reuters as he filled cardboard chests with fake money at his shop on the outskirts of the capital.
"I can only offer them the first iPad model," he added, pointing to shelves stocked with the gadget along with paper iPhones and Samsung Galaxy Tabs.
Te shipped in 300 iPad 2 replica sets from China for the Qingming festival, which has just flown off the shelves and left him struggling to meet demand - a scenario Apple also faces.
For some Chinese, technological gadgets will not be part of the shopping list for their dead relatives.
"They belong to the older generation. If you give all these so-called iPads, they don't know how to use it," said Thomas Soong, 61, as he set fire to a pile of fake money at his grandmother's grave on the fringes of the Malaysian capital. "So traditionally we give them shoes, shirts ... all the necessities," he added.
Source: Reuters
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