The launch of Apple’s iPhone 17 series drew significant public interest across India, with queues forming outside stores for the new devices. Among those looking to secure the latest model was Mahi Singh, a digital creator and self-styled ‘Beauty Queen’ from Lakhimpur in Uttar Pradesh, who appealed to her online audience for financial assistance to fund the purchase.
In a video that spread widely on social media platform X, Singh displayed a QR code and urged her followers to contribute small sums of money so that she could buy the iPhone 17 Pro Max. She explained that although her father had given her an iPhone 16 only a few months earlier, he had declined her request for the upgraded model.
Singh stated: "17 Pro abhi launch hua hai, iska colour bhi mujhe bohot pasand hai. Abhi 3 mahine pehle papa ne lekar diya tha, 16 hai. Aur ye phone humko lena hai 21 October ko hamara birthday hai lekin papa mujhe ye phone nahi dila rahe. (The 17 Pro has just been launched and I really like its colour. Three months ago, my dad bought me the 16. I want to get this new phone for my birthday on 21 October, but my dad is not buying it for me.)"
She went on to add: "Aaplog ek-ek, do-do, teen-teen, char-char rupiye ki help karoge toh main ye phone le sakti hun aur aapka dil se shukriya karungi. Ye mera sapna pura ho jaaye, haqiqat mein ye phone mujhe itna pasand aya ki kuch kehne ko nahi hai. (If you could help me with one, two, three or four rupees each, I would be able to buy this phone and I would thank you sincerely. It would make my dream come true. I like this phone so much that I really cannot describe it.)"
The request provoked a range of reactions online. One commenter remarked: “Even begging got a tech upgrade. Swipe, scan, donate.”
Another wrote: “Indian people are very emotional, they will give you one or two rupees each, it’s a business.”
A separate user observed: “Men who don’t even do charity for good works will send money to her. That’s how deep our species is ruined.”
Others compared her approach with practices already common on video platforms. One user stated: “On YouTube, people are becoming rich through crowdfunding and super chats. But if a poor person asks, there’s a problem. Rich people spend all day asking for super chats with fancy setups and no one questions them. It’s strange how some people have such double standards.”
Another added: “Many people are using mirror techniques to play the same video again and again of them studying and asking for money using the QR scanner. And many people do give them money.”
Some reactions were harsher. One individual labelled Singh a “shameless digital beggar.”
Meanwhile, the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max were released in several colour options including deep blue and silver. However, the newly introduced cosmic orange finish has become the most sought-after variant among consumers.
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