Is Colonel Sanders ready to join Steve Jobs and Bill Gates as a technological icon?
I think that we can all agree that two of the great things about being alive in the modern era are the historically unprecedented access we enjoy to greasy fast food and touchscreen technology. Many of us would argue, though, that those two things aren’t particularly good candidates for a crossover, but the decision-makers at Kentucky Fried Chicken and Chinese tech firm Huawei beg to differ.
And so the giants of their respective fields have pooled their powers to create the KFC smartphone.
Unexpected as the team-up may be, the timing is at least appropriate. 2017 is the 30th anniversary of both KFC’s expansion into China and the founding of Huawei. To mark the occasion, Huawei has taken one of its 7 Plus smartphone models and outfitted it with a KFC-red casing featuring the familiar visage of Colonel Sanders.
The phone comes preloaded with the KFC mobile app and a supply of points that can be redeemed for menu items from the fast food chain. It also can be used to utilize the K Music system, which allows users to select pieces of music to play through the speakers at KFC restaurants.
Along with a 5.5-inch screen, the KFC smartphone is expected to include fingerprint scanning security technology. One would think having such a thin layer of chicken-transferred oil on your fingertips would interfere with the scanning function, so perhaps KFC’s “finger-licking good” claim should also be considered part of the proper operating protocol.
Pricing is yet to be officially announced, but is rumored to be 1,099 yuan (US$162). Huawei, wisely assuming that poultry-themed electronics are a limited niche market, is capping production at 5,000 units for the model, which will make it twice as rare as China’s Sailor Moon smartphone.
Sources: Kotaku USA, Ad Age, The Verge, Campaign Asia
Images: YouTube/Branding in Asia